FG Secures €995m Deal To Create Agric Mechanisation In Nigeria

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari has announced that the Nigerian Government has secured a massive €995 million deal with the Brazilian Government and the German Deutsch Bank Group.

Gatekeepers News reports that this deal is intended to finance a Green Imperative Programme in Nigeria.

The Programme is aimed at creating mechanisation hubs in all 774 local government areas of Nigeria. This is part of the implementation plan of the Programme, which seeks to promote mechanised agriculture and boost food production in Nigeria.

Kyari made this announcement on Monday in Minna, Niger State.

“A memorandum of understanding between the Federal Government and the John Deer Group, a subsidiary of Tata Equipment, was signed.

“The manufacturer has signed to deliver 10,000 units of tractors and implement in tranches of 2,000 units per annum for the next five years.

“The Greener Hope Initiative is another veritable platform the federal government is deploying to ultimately change the deficit narrative in the Nigerian agricultural mechanisation space,’’ he said.

On his part, President Bola Tinubu said his administration remains committed to ensuring food sufficiency and protecting local industries for sustainable economic growth.

The president who said this during the Food Security and Agricultural Mechanisation Programme in Niger State, added that the initiative is for the deployment of cutting-edge agricultural machinery and technology for large-scale agro-value chain development in the state.

“We have seen the level of commitment here. We have seen leadership. The success of any leader will depend on the ability to do what needs to be done when it ought to be done.

“It is now time for us to address the challenges and make Nigeria an economy of opportunities. We must care for our people; re-orient our people. I do not see why Nigeria cannot feed all students in its schools,” he said.