Farmers say delayed release of 2,000 tractors launched by FG threatens food security.
Sixty-nine days after President Bola Tinubu launched 2,000 tractors and other mechanised farm implements, farmers say the equipment remains undistributed, raising concerns over the impact on the 2025 wet season.
The tractors, unveiled on June 24 in partnership with AfTrade DMCC and Belarus, were meant to boost yields, create jobs and support smallholder farmers. But a Daily Trust investigation revealed the machines are still parked at the National Agriculture Seed Council, Abuja.
“All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) is surprised that the tractors have not been distributed yet,” said its president, Kabiru Ibrahim, urging equitable and urgent allocation. Similarly, the All Farmers Progressive Association described the delay as “very unfortunate.”
Officials at the Agriculture Ministry said they were awaiting presidential approval. Minister Abubakar Kyari assured farmers that distribution would soon begin, stressing tractors “are not for decoration” but for community use.
The delay has prompted governors and farmers’ groups to warn of worsening food insecurity.