To boost food security, the Federal Government would make 2,000 tractors available to farms across the country in January, it was learnt at the weekend.
The Bank of Agriculture (BoA) explained the delay in distributing the tractors unveiled on June 24 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
They were imported from the Eastern European country of Belarus.
BoA stated that the pause was deliberate to ensure transparency, sustainability and a total overhaul of Nigeria’s agricultural mechanisation framework.
In an interview with The Nation, Managing Director of the BoA, Mr. Ayo Sotinrin, said the tractors could not be shared indiscriminately.
On the application process, he explained that the bank received about 110,000 applications from mechanisation service providers nationwide.
“The advert closed last month. We are now shortlisting from 110,000 to about 4,000, and eventually to 2,000 companies.
“Distribution will begin in January to support dry-season farming,” he said.
Sotinrin emphasised that selection would be strictly merit-based.
“There will be no political allocation. If we discover that any tractor has gone to a political person, it will be taken back. No party sharing, no monkey business,” he said.
Recovered funds from repayments, he added, will be reinvested to expand the fleet to 40,000 tractors nationwide.
“This is a growing mechanisation plan, from 2,000 to 4,000, and ultimately to 40,000 tractors,” he said.
He warned that indiscriminate distribution would undermine the national mechanisation masterplan and exclude millions of farmers.
According to him, this marks the first time in Nigeria’s history that agricultural equipment procured with public funds will not be distributed free of charge.
“The objective is to restructure mechanisation in a way that benefits all farmers and strengthens food security,” Sotinrin said.
Explaining the delay, he added: “We want to get it right for the first time in the history of interventions in the agricultural sector.
“These tractors were bought with taxpayers’ money and cannot be given free to individuals.
“If you give 2,000 tractors to 2,000 people, you disenfranchise over 69 million farmers.”
He stressed that the tractors are not intended for direct allocation to farmers.
Sotinrin said: “Farmers are not mechanisation service providers. A tractor is a business tool.
“You cannot give a truck to a wholesaler and expect him to start a transport business.
“In the same way, you don’t give a tractor to a farmer cultivating one hectare.”
Under the new framework, only mechanisation service companies with verifiable financial capacity, strong balance sheets and the ability to pay a 25 per cent deposit will qualify.
This, Sotinrin explained, ensures optimal use of the equipment and wider access for farmers.
“If you spread 2,000 tractors across the 36 states, each state will have about 80 to 100 tractors.
“Farmers will book services through an app, and mechanisation companies will deploy tractors to their farms.
“In that way, 2,000 tractors can cover over 100,000 hectares and serve millions of farmers,” he said.
The tractors will be refinanced over a three-to-five-year period, with payments tied to usage rather than fixed monthly schedules.
“They pay as they use. Once a tractor works on 10 hectares, the system records it and generates an invoice. That is how we ensure accountability and sustainability,” he explained.
Each tractor will be allocated only to companies capable of cultivating a minimum of 500 hectares, translating to about 1,000 hectares for every two tractors.
“For 2,000 tractors, that gives us about 100,000 hectares per cycle. That is far more impactful than giving tractors to individuals,” Sotinrin said.
He described the initiative as Nigeria’s first fully integrated mechanisation ecosystem.
According to him, BoA has procured 36 mobile service trucks that will provide on-site maintenance and routine servicing.
“Technology tells us when a tractor needs servicing. We change oil, fuel filters and ensure the machines remain operational,” he said.
In addition, major tractor hubs will be established across the six geopolitical zones to handle complex repairs.
“If an injector fails, we fix it. If the engine is damaged, we replace it. These centres will manage the tractors throughout their lifespan,” he added.
Sotinrin also explained plans to establish a semi-knocked-down (SKD) tractor assembly plant in Nigeria.
“Going forward, anyone bringing tractors into Nigeria must do so in CKD or SKD form. Nigerians will be trained to assemble them. Groundbreaking begins in January,” he said.
All tractors will be fitted with digital tracking systems to prevent diversion and misuse.
“The trackers tell us where the tractor is, when it is working, when it is idle and when it needs servicing. That way, the tractors can last almost forever,” he noted.
Maintenance will be carried out in partnership with international firms, including Heifer International and Hello Tractor.
On compliance, Sotinrin warned that defaulters would not be tolerated.
“If anyone defaults once or twice, the system flags it, and the tractor can be repossessed,” he said.
He added that BoA has already acquired 9,000 implements and 18,000 critical spare parts, all warehoused in Nigeria.
Sotinrin said: “There is no need to go back to Belarus to fix anything.”
Defending the choice of Belarus-made tractors, he added: “They are among the strongest tractors in the world. They were built for tough conditions.”
All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Lagos State chapter, expressed support for the Federal Government’s structured approach, while urging authorities to ensure affordability of services for smallholder farmers.
Chairman of the association, Otunba Femi Oke, commended BoA for moving away from past practices where tractors were indiscriminately distributed, describing the new framework as transparent and forward-looking.
However, he cautioned that the 25 per cent deposit requirement for service providers could translate into higher service charges for farmers if not carefully managed.
“The success of this programme depends on affordability. The goal of serving millions of smallholder farmers must remain central,” Oke said.
A former Rector of the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igboora, Prof. Jacob Gbemiga Adewale, described the service-provider model as ambitious and potentially transformative.
He noted that the model promotes efficiency and prevents tractors from lying idle, a major flaw of past interventions.
However, he advised that safeguards be introduced to ensure smaller players and digitally challenged farmers are not excluded from the benefits of mechanisation.
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