James Emejo
Global development organisation, Heifer Nigeria, said it has invested $1.5 million to deploy tractors and cold hubs across the country in a bid to solve the challenges of smallholder farmers in the country.
The organisation which is making its debut in Nigeria, said it is deploying about 20 tractors in the first instance to different parts of the country as well as committing funds to increase the number of machinery to boost agricultural output.
The unavailability of tractors had been one of the major constraints to the mechanisation agenda of the present administration.
The Country Director for Heifer Nigeria, Mr. Rufus Idris, said as part of its ambitious target to help additional 10 million households close the living income gap by 2030, Heifer International had now extended its footprint to Nigeria.
Speaking during a side event on “Youth and Technology: The Future of Nigeria’s Agriculture” at the just concluded 27th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES#27), with the theme,”Securing Our Future: The Urgency of Now”, he said.
Aligning with the theme of the summit, Idris pointed out that to secure future, there is a fierce urgency of now to address food insecurity and massive food importation associated with underperformance of the agricultural sector and food system, high unemployment among youths and dwindling economy.
He said youth creativity and technology in agriculture would drive growth in the country.
Specifically, he said the organisation aims to assist millions of households, largely young men and women reach a sustainable living income by 2030, through strategic private and public sector partnerships, unlocking demand and market opportunities, investing in priority value chains, and leveraging innovation and emerging agricultural technologies to reach transformational scale.
