Abuja (Sundiata Post) – President Muhammadu Buhari, Wednesday, directed the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to give all refurbished tractors to farmers to boost agricultural activities in the country.
NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Mohammed Sani Haruna, told State House correspondents that the President gave the order after a briefing on the activities of the agency in Abuja.
He said the directive was in line with the Buhari administration’s efforts to revamp the sector.
The Nigerian leader had on December 29 assured Nigerians that his administration would keep an eye on high cost of foodstuffs in the new year by ensuring food security through mass production.
Haruna, who said he briefed the President on the achievements and challenges of his organisation, quoted Buhari as saying that one of the most crucial modern implements required to till the ground and aid farmers to realise bountiful harvest was tractor.
“My briefing of Mr. President today (yesterday) is a routine. Mr. President is the Chairman, Governing Board of NASENI.
“So, we are here to update him on the activities of the agency – what we have achieved so far within this period and what we need his intervention on,” he said.
The chief executive added that the agency had successfully refurbished several tractors at its institute in Minna, Niger State via partnerships.
He named the trio of Machine & Equipment Consortium Africa (MECA), the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agriculture Lending (NIRSAL) and NASENI as principal partners in the project.
Haruna stated that Buhari was eager to see that the tractors were deployed to farmers before the next farming season.
According to him, the President is disturbed by the drudgery and suffering of planters occasioned by lack of modern farming implements.
