Wednesday 7 January 2015

FG Targets 800,000 Jobs Through Mechanized Farming

The Federal Government of Nigeria has said that about 800, 000 jobs will be created through the implementation of full scale mechanized farming.

According to a statement from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the government also noted that 4,800,000 mt of food will be added to the existing 21, 000, 000 mt under the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GES).



The statement said additional 10,000,000 Nigerian farmers will have access to mechanized farming equipment through the Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise (AEHE)

The government said that the new mechanisation policy, which is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) will see the government provide 35 per cent of the finance while financial institutions will provide 35 per cent, Agro-machinery Vendors provide 20 percent and Service Providers Operator (SPOs) makes available 10 per cent.

The statement explained that the short term projection of the scheme through the partnership is to make available a minimum of 6,000 units of Tractors and Power Tillers each.

It will also make available about 13,000 units of various harvest and post harvest equipment to set up a minimum of 1,200 Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise (AEHE) to render Mechanization Support Services to farmers

To drive this new scheme, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina said that President Goodluck Jonathan through the ministry approved N4.5 Billion to implement an intervention scheme to serve as a model for replication.

He said that the first phase of this intervention will make available 590 units of tractors, 500 power tillers, and various harvests and post harvest equipment to set up 118 AEHEs centers.

“The on-going Mechanization scheme will provide 1,230 Units of Tractors, 2000 Power Tillers and 3400 units of various harvest and post equipment such as rice Reapers, Grain Threshers, Cassava Planters and harvesters, boom sprayer among several other equipment to set up 246 units of AEHEs in demand driven locations nationwide,” the minister said in the statement.

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