Mechanised farming solution to food insecurity says Ellen Sirleaf

NaijaAgroNet:

Mechanised farming has been identified as the solution to food insecurity in Liberia, according to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, reports NaijaAgroNet.

In a nation-wide address recently in Liberia and monitored by NaijaAgroNet, President Sirleaf noted that it is only through large scale mechanized farming operations and agro- industrial operations which focuses on emerging small and medium size entities is the only way Liberia can attain food security.

She observed that Liberia as an agrarian nation must increasingly shift to agriculture to ensure that the nation moves away from the old system of enclave extractive industries.

“We must aim at a higher potential for import and export diversification through stimulation of production in a select few of our traditional tree crops such as rubber, oil palm and cocoa, she said.

NaijaAgroNet also learnt that she reminded Liberians that the private sector must become the driving force of the economy with Liberia’s entrepreneurs playing their rightful role, adding, that this can only be achieved with the support of citizens by promoting and buying products made in Liberia as well as through the payment of rightful taxes.

President Sirleaf then pledged her government’s commitment in doing its part in establishing a peaceful and easy business environment by reducing the bureaucratic hurdles and at the same time ensuring that tax regimes are fair and allow businesses to expand.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

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pix: President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Adesina advocates mechanised farming to lure youths into farming

Adesina, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister

Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina has said that the use of tractors on farms would attract youths to farming.

Speaking in Abuja recently, Dr. Adesina said creating market for contract tractor service providers would lead to mechanising the sector which will in turn provide jobs for many industrious youths.

"To get the youth into agriculture, we must rapidly mechanise our agriculture," Adesina noted emphasising the need to come up with a comprehensive system that would facilitates a strong relationship between financial institutions, tractors manufacturers and vendors, and other relevant parties towards making it affordable to own or lease tractors.

Adesina also confirmed that Nigeria doesn’t have up to 20, 000 functioning tractors in the country and this make Nigeria one of the countries that have the lowest number of tractors in the world.

He further added that the federal government has commenced the design of a new initiative that would give a new generation of young commercial farmers to help transform the agricultural sector and feed Nigeria today and in the future.

“To feed our rising population well into the future, we will need young commercial farmers," he said that the farming population is ageing rapidly, making it to difficult to meet the increasing challenges associated with markets and technology.

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Nigeria: Expert attributes food price hike to Boko Haram insurgence

Market women selling farm produce

The Technical Adviser to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, Dr. Tony Egba said the activities of the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria are responsible for the rise in food price in the northern part of the country.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that Dr. Egba said, fears arising from the activities of the sect have resulted in transporters avoiding some areas in the north.

He also said that Nigerians’ involvement in subsistence farming was also responsible for the low food productivity and that the minister planned to change this.

The change, he said would come through the encouragement of mecahnised farming to boost food production.

Source: NigerianObserver

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AGCO to establish multi-million tractor factory in Nigeria

   A multi-million Naira assembly plant is being targeted by North American company, AGCO which specializes in manufacturing of agricultural equipments, in anticipation of Nigeria’s dream to grow the sector with 300,000 within the next three years.

AGCO offers a full product line including tractors, combines, hay tools, sprayers, forage equipment, groundscare and implements through more than 8,500 independent dealers and distributors around the world.

DigitalSENSE News investigation reveals that AGCO is likely to provide this number of tractors through its worldwide retail financing scheme known as Agricredit joint venture.

Experts at Investopedia says joint venture is the cooperation of two or more individuals or businesses in which each agrees to share profit, loss and control in a specific enterprise. Describing it as a good way for companies to partner without having to merge and are typically taxed as a partnership.

Making this disclosure recently, the Federal Minister in-charge of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Ayo Adesina, noted that AGCO is the largest manufacturer of Marcy Ferguson tractors globally.

He also stressed that FG has advanced strategies for the establishment of assembly plants in the country following a discussion with the manufacturer in April.

“Nigeria needs at least 300,000 tractors, to enable our youth to get into agriculture as a business,” he declared.

Equally speaking in Abuja, Dr. Adesina reiterated the resolve of the Federal Government, pointing out that already the Nigerian government has concluded farmers’ census, while introducing an agric-wallet and employment of 36 agriculture directors, who have been deployed nationwide at the state capitals.

AGCO offers a full product line including tractors, combines, hay tools, sprayers, forage equipment, groundscare and implements through more than 8,500 independent dealers and distributors around the world. AGCO provides retail financing worldwide through its Agricredit joint venture.

DigitalSENSE News gathered that historically, AGCO Corporation has its roots in the North American farm equipment industry with its heritage reaching as far back as the mid 1800’s through many of its brands. However, its direct lineage is from the Allis-Chalmers brand name.

Also, in 1990 KHD sold its Deutz Allis division to AGCO and ever since, the company has become a world-wide farm machinery company through market growth and strategic acquisitions.

Today, AGCO prides itself with sales of approximately USD$7 billion, about N 1,104,949,957,275.39 trillion, and AGCO is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AG.

 

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