President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabir Ibrahim, has urged the Federal Government to hasten the distribution of the 2,000 tractors recently launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, warning that leaving them idle would amount to a waste of resources.
Speaking on ARISE News on Tuesday, Ibrahim said that although farmers were satisfied with the Federal Government’s plan to mechanise agriculture, the delay in deploying the tractors — valued at ₦50 billion — was concerning, as they could have been put to use for dry-season farming.
“We were at the launch, and we are happy that the Minister said they are working out modalities for distribution,” Ibrahim said. “But we must do that sensibly. Some of the tractors may not even work in riverine areas — they’re too heavy. We need to identify where they should go and in what quantities so that they don’t remain idle.”
He emphasised that the allocation process must reflect the country’s diversity and farmers’ varying needs, suggesting a more structured and equitable approach.
“We have 2,000 tractors and 774 local government areas,” he explained. “If I were in charge of distribution, I would allocate two tractors per local government first, then distribute the rest to areas with greater agricultural needs. It may sound simplistic, but it’s realistic.”
Ibrahim admitted that farmers were eager to put the tractors to use but also understood the importance of proper planning.
“Farmers are always asking for more, so yes, we are anxious to start using them,” he said. “But you must look at the cost of machinery, how they’ll be allocated, and whether they will be free, subsidised, or paid for. Still, the process can be faster — and I hope it will be.”
He confirmed that AFAN had been carried along by the government, noting that the association was invited to the official launch and had provided input on the tractors’ specifications and deployment.
“We have been carried along all the time,” Ibrahim said. “At the launch, we discussed the tractors’ capacity, pricing, and where they could be best deployed. We gave our contributions, but we are not in government — we are just urging them to move faster.”
Highlighting the importance of mechanisation, the AFAN President said the introduction of the tractors would significantly improve productivity and support the government’s goal of achieving food security.
“These tractors will make a lot of difference,” he said. “You’re replacing human power with machine power, which means greater output. You can cover more land with machinery than using hoes and cutlasses.”
Addressing concerns about the tractors sitting unused for months, Ibrahim said the delay would not cause major mechanical issues but warned that it would be financially wasteful.
“Even though these tractors are diesel-run and won’t suffer much from inactivity, keeping them idle for long is wasteful,” he said. “We must deploy them quickly because we spent a lot of money to procure them. The government must walk the talk on food security and mechanisation — we cannot remain subsistence farmers forever.”
He added that farmers were optimistic about future supplies of machinery, including additional tractors expected from Brazil, but reiterated that timely implementation was critical.
“We’re happy when the government makes these announcements,” Ibrahim said, “but we’ll be happier when they are implemented.”
Boluwatife Enome
