- Senate raise concerns over delayed deployment
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Minister says delay aimed at preventing past failures
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Rollout expected ahead of rainy season
Members of the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Agricultural Production on Tuesday questioned the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi.
He was quizzed over the whereabouts of 2,000 tractors launched by the Federal Government under the Renewed Hope Agricultural Mechanisation Programme.
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The lawmakers raised the issue during the minister’s appearance to defend the ministry’s 2026 budget at the National Assembly.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had on June 23, 2025 commissioned the 2,000 tractors and accompanying agricultural implements for nationwide deployment under the programme.
The commissioning ceremony marked the formal launch of the initiative at the National Agricultural Seeds Council, Sheda, along the Abuja–Lokoja Expressway.
Nearly eight months after the launch, the tractors are yet to be deployed to farmers across the country.
A member of the House of Representatives from Rivers State, Awaji Inombek, expressed concern over the delay and asked the minister to clarify the location and status of the tractors.
Responding, Abdullahi said the delay was deliberate and intended to avoid the shortcomings that plagued previous tractor distribution schemes.
He explained that the tractors were procured under a three-component mechanisation programme, with one component already operational through the Belarus Mechanisation Programme.
According to him, the Federal Government procured 2,000 tractors of varying capacities, combined harvesters, over 9,000 agricultural implements, and 12 mobile workshops.
The minister said past interventions failed because tractors were allocated to non-farmers, forcing genuine farmers to pay high fees for access, while many machines eventually became abandoned.
Abdullahi said President Tinubu had directed that the current programme must bring tractor services closer to farmers at minimal cost.q
He disclosed that the Bank of Agriculture has been mandated to manage the programme and has advertised it, targeting young Nigerians, women in agriculture, and general agricultural practitioners.
He said applicants are currently undergoing due process for selection.
Abdullahi explained that Agricultural Mechanisation Service Centres will be established across the six geopolitical zones and operated on a pay-per-use basis.
Under the model, operators will be responsible for tractor maintenance, while farmers pay only for services rendered.
The minister said the government had moved away from direct allocation of tractors to individuals, noting that Nigeria currently has over 7,000 dysfunctional tractors from past interventions.
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He added that spare parts have been supplied for the new tractors and that young Nigerians are being trained for repairs and maintenance.
Abdullahi assured lawmakers that the rollout would begin gradually as the rainy season approaches.
On budget implementation, he said personnel expenditure under the 2025 appropriation had largely been implemented, but capital projects had been constrained by delayed releases.
He disclosed that about 30 per cent of the ministry’s capital allocation, estimated at ₦18 billion, was yet to be released.
Chairman of the House Committee on Agricultural Production and Services, Bello A. Ka’oje, warned that reduced funding could undermine food security and economic recovery.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Production and Rural Development, Saliu Mustapha, also cautioned that declining budgetary allocation to agriculture could worsen food insecurity.