ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a significant allocation of resources towards Nigeria’s National Agricultural Mechanisation Programme (NAMP) aimed at enhancing food security. This includes 2,000 tractors, 4,000 disc ploughs, 1,200 tractor-trailers, and various other essential equipment.
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, announced the decision following Thursday’s FEC meeting in Abuja.
The approval also encompasses assorted spare parts crucial for bolstering Nigeria’s agricultural productivity efforts.
Onanuga said: “Procurement of 2000 tractors, 4000 disc ploughs, 1000 disc ridges, 1200 tractor trailers and assorted spare parts. The items to be supplied are for the National Agricultural Mechanisation Programme(NAMP) to strengthen national food security.
“Astride DMCC, which has done a similar job in Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa and Togo, will supply all the equipment and will also set up a plant to assemble the machinery, in the second stage of the contract,” Onanuga said.
The government’s latest move follows an earlier announcement of a 150-day tax and import duty suspension on rice, wheat, beans, and other essential foods, aimed at addressing the country’s skyrocketing food inflation, which reached 40.66 percent in May.
Additionally, on Tuesday, Tinubu unveiled the establishment of the Livestock Development Ministry.
The new ministry is designed to tackle longstanding conflicts between farmers and herders, which have contributed to food insecurity.
Meanwhile, Nigerians continue to face significant challenges due to high food prices, leading to reduced purchasing power across the population.
The Food and Agriculture Organization, a United Nations agency, recently cautioned that without intervention, between 80 to 82 million Nigerians could face severe hunger by 2030 amidst ongoing food insecurity concerns.
