Mechanisation key to driving Nigeria’s food security – Expert

Agricultural mechanisation is critical to increasing food production, improving productivity and strengthening Nigeria’s food security efforts, the Chief Executive Officer of Agcoms International Trading Limited, Okoli Chijioke, has said. Chijioke stated this in a statement issued by Agcoms on Tuesday, in which he expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s agricultural reforms and food security agenda, describing mechanisation as a key driver of economic growth, rural development, and the transformation of the agricultural sector. According to him, the Federal Government’s emphasis on expanding access to modern farming equipment remains one of the most effective ways to raise farm productivity, strengthen agricultural value chains and attract younger Nigerians into agriculture. He said, “The administration’s sustained emphasis on modernising agriculture through increased access to mechanised farming equipment represents one of the most effective pathways to raising productivity, strengthening agricultural value chains and attracting a new generation of Nigerians into farming.” The Agcoms boss noted that the Federal Government’s mechanisation programme recorded a major milestone in January when the National Agricultural Development Fund announced a $70m agreement with Agcoms for the supply of 2,000 tractors and other mechanised farming equipment, including 100 combine harvesters. He added that the company’s partnership with the government-backed fund aligned with broader efforts to boost food production and enhance food security nationwide. According to Chijioke, the initiative has since been recognised by the Federal Government as one of the 40 key milestones achieved during the first two years of the Tinubu administration. He explained that the programme goes beyond equipment procurement and includes local assembly of agricultural machinery in Nigeria, a move expected to promote technology transfer, create jobs and strengthen the country’s technical capacity in agricultural mechanisation. “The renewed national focus on mechanisation reflects growing recognition of the role technology and modern farming equipment play in building a more productive and competitive agricultural sector,” he said. Chijioke stressed that mechanisation remains one of the most important productivity enablers in modern agriculture, but warned that the success of such programmes depends on more than the availability of equipment. He said sustainable outcomes could only be achieved when machinery deployment is supported by operator training, maintenance systems, financing solut