FG unveils agric mechanisation policy, plans 4,000-capacity tractor plant
August 12, 2026 7:44 pm
File: The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari
The Federal Government has unveiled the National Agricultural Mechanisation Policy and the National Agricultural Mechanisation Investment Strategy, with plans to establish a mega tractor assembly plant capable of producing between 2,000 and 4,000 units annually.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, disclosed this on Wednesday at the High-Level National Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Mechanisation held in Abuja.
Kyari said the twin policy instruments were designed to move Nigeria “from agricultural potential to agricultural powerhouse; from mechanization deficit to mechanization leadership; and from food vulnerability to food sovereignty.”
“It takes more than land, more than good intentions to produce efficiently, competitively and sustainably to build our food systems. This is why today’s National Policy Dialogue is so important,” the minister stated.
He explained that mechanisation went beyond the use of tractors, noting that it covered land preparation, planting, irrigation, crop protection, harvesting, processing, storage, logistics, precision agriculture, digital technologies, financing, insurance, maintenance and after-sales services.
“Our ambition, therefore, must be larger than equipment ownership.
“We must build a Mechanization-as-a-Service economy in which technology reaches the farmer when and where it is needed, at a cost that is commercially viable and sustainably financed.
“This is the direction in which Government is moving,” he said.
According to the minister, under the Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanisation Programme, the Federal Government had commenced the procurement and deployment of 2,000 tractors and more than 9,000 assorted implements and spare parts.
He described the intervention as the largest single agricultural mechanisation programme ever undertaken in Africa, stressing that its importance should be measured by whether the machines become productive economic assets that are maintained, financed, utilised and made accessible to farmers.
Kyari said the proposed tractor assembly plant would reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported machinery, localise production, create jobs and support the development of a sustainable mechanisation economy.
The minister urged investors, youths and women to take ownership of the emerging mechanisation economy.
Princess Etuk is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over five years of experience covering national development and the economy. She focuses on public policy, infrastructure, agriculture, and related sectors, producing insightful features and exclusive reports. Princess’s work reflects a strong commitment to accountability journalism, sectoral development reporting, and informed public dialogue.
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