Heifer Launches Tractor Mechanisation Hub in Nasarawa

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

Heifer International has launched a tractor mechanisation hub at Gunki in Nasarawa Local Government Area of Nasararwa State.

Launching the tractor mechanisation hub, Nigeria Country Managing Director of the Heifer International, Dr. Nneka Enwonwu, said the hub is to facilitate leakages between small holder farmers with mechanised service providers.

The Heifer International Nigeria country MD continued that the tractor mechanisation hub is to basically help farmers access tractors.

She said: “We don’t have enough tractors in Nigeria. For all the farmers in Nigeria, we have less than 3,000 tractors. Whereas, we need over,50,000 to be able to service Nigeria. As a result of that, we started our tractor financing programme.

Last year we financed over 100 tractors in Africa, 49 in Nigeria and the rest in our offices in Kenya and Uganda. It was during this period we realize that some of this challenges were not addressed.”

 Enwonwune continued that one of these challenges realized was tractors as tractors were consistently breaking down without having spare parts.

“That was why we started looking at how to address these issues and decided to set up this tractor mechanisation hub. We are hoping to set up several others across the country to ensure that farmers have access to tractor services.

In a remark, the Nasararwa State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ibrahim Nuhu Oshafu, said the agriculture sector cannot succeed until it is privately driven like what Heifer International was doing.

The agriculture commissioner, who spoke through Mr. Yakubu Jama’a, however, assured that the state government was going to join hands with Heifer in order to move the state into full mechanised farming status.

“I urge other partners to join hands with government and do similar ventures as government’s doors are widely opened so that we move this state to the next level,” Oshafu stated.