Reps Probe Non-delivery Of 2,000 Tractors Implements, 100 Harvesters

The House of Representatives has mandated its Committee on Agricultural Production and Services to investigate the failure to deliver 2,000 tractor implements and 100 combined harvesters, a year after the federal government entered into agreements with John Deere Tractors. The committee has also been tasked with examining the status of a planned tractor assembly plant under an agreement with AFTRADE DMCC to produce agricultural implements and Belarus tractors.

This directive follows the adoption of a motion moved by Hon. Ahmed Adam Saba, the representative for Edu/Moro/Patigi in Kwara State, at plenary on Tuesday. Saba highlighted that President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a State of Emergency on food security in July 2023 included a key focus on agricultural mechanization across the country to boost food production.

In 2023, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security signed agreements with John Deere Tractors to supply 2,000 tractors implements and 100 combined harvesters annually. The contract also covered the establishment of a tractor assembly plant aimed at producing 9,022 agricultural implements and 2,000 Belarus tractors each year. The total cost for the plant was estimated at $70 million for the assembly line and N2.98 billion for actual equipment costs, including after-sales services, spare parts, and training.

Saba expressed concern that, despite the significant public funds allocated to these agreements, no tractors or implements have been delivered to Nigeria a year later. He emphasized that the non-delivery represents a setback to the Renewed Hope Agenda for agricultural mechanization and a hindrance to Nigeria’s food security goals, as two farming seasons have been lost since the agreements were signed. The committee is now expected to investigate the reasons behind the delay and hold accountable those responsible for the failure to fulfill the agreements.