The Katsina State Government says it has received delivery of 50 out of the 400 tractors to be supplied by an Indian firm through a Public Private Partnership (PPP), to boost agricultural mechanization in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that was sequel to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the State Government and Indian firm about six months ago for the supply of the tractors to the farmers.
Alhaji Mannir Yakubu, the state Deputy Governor, who disclosed this while inspecting the 50 tractors in Katsina on Monday, said that the decision would encourage commercialization of agriculture through mechanisation.
Yabubu, also the Commissioner for Agriculture, said that the tractors would be given on hire basis to farmers through the Tractor Owners and Operators Association at a subsidised rate.
He said that this was part of the state government’s Restoration Agenda in agricultural sector aimed at commercialising the agriculture through mechanisation to make it the mainstay of the state’s economy.
He said that the state government had also procured other farm inputs worth millions of naira and distributed to farmers for both wet and dry season farming at subsidised rate.
In his remarks, the Special Adviser to Gov. Bello Masari on Ariculture, Dr Abba Abdullahi, said that the state required 1,000 tractors to make agriculture fully mechanised.
He expressed the determination of the administration to achieve the target within the next three years.
Abdullahi announced thatthe Indian firm would set up assembling plant in the state which would also assist to create jobs for teeming number of unemployed youths.