By: Ayo Agbeoluwaye
The Federal Government has rolled out 2,000 tractors, implements and over 9,000 spare parts to enhance food production, improve the income of Nigerian farmers and achieve food sovereignty as well as revolutionize the agricultural ecosystem.
Speaking at the Official Flag-off of the Deployment of 2000 Tractors, Implement and over 9000 spare parts under the Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanization Programme, in held Sheda, Abuja, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari revealed that the Initiative was the largest single agricultural mechanization programme ever undertaken on the African continent.
Sen. Kyari stated that through the Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanization Program, 2,000 heavy-capacity tractors and over 9,000 precision implements has been deployed under a rigorously engineered national framework.
He explained that thefirst tranche of 600 tractors marks the beginning of a phased acceleratiom which will will be followed by 750 tractors and 650 tractors, culminating in a nationwide force of 2,000 mechanization assets.
He noted that the tractors and implements are entrusted to Mechanization Service Providers (MSPs) where each tractor, with the capacity to service approximately 600 hectares per year, becomes not just a machine but a multiplier of productivity.
He further confirmed that Many of these MSPs are youth-and-women-led enterprises operating under a lease-to-own model intending to benefit about 1.2 million farmers across over 1.5 million hectares annually.
The minister stressed that the intervention was part of a comprehensive agricultural financing ecosystem envisioned by President Bola Tinubu Through a ₦50 billion catalytic seed fund with the Bank of Industry (BOI) aimed at unlocking agro-industrial investment at scale.
He maintained that over ₦250 billion has been mobilized to finance one million smallholder farmers in this year’s wet season alone with each farmer cultivating an average of one hectare in 2026 in partnership with state governments.
He assured farmers that the programme would be implemented fairly and inclusively, particularly for women who account for a significant portion of agricultural production.
In his remarks , Managing Director, Bank of Agriculture, BOA, Mr Ayo Sotinrin, said the programme was designed to create a sustainable mechanization ecosystem and avoid past failures.
Sotinrin, revealed that the programme has already attracted strong demand from agribusiness operators and mechanization providers, with over 10,000 applications received in the first phase alone.
He explained that each tractor must service at least 600 hectares annually to remain economically viable, ensuring sustained revenue generation and long-term operational sustainability.
He added that the initiative would operate through structured financing models, including leasing arrangements, service-based repayment, and partnerships with state governments, private operators, and development partners.
