The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, has announced that the Federal Government will soon distribute 2,000 tractors to farmers nationwide to support dry-season and all-year farming.

In an interview with ARISE News on Friday, Kyari noted that the tractors and implements, commissioned earlier in the year, are intended for practical use in boosting productivity, not for display.

He said, “Those 2,000 tractors and 9,000 different implements to go with them were commissioned, but at the time land preparation for the wet season had passed. Nobody would use a tractor at that time. Logistics for distribution has been worked out. These tractors are not going to be there for show.”

“Very soon we are going to roll out these tractors so that we can face the dry season and all year-round farming that Mr. President is encouraging.”

Kyari revealed plans to geofence and geolocate the tractors to ensure proper usage, adding, “Anybody who had been allocated that tractor must have a specific number of hours he can cultivate in terms of hectares a year. If you own an 80 or 100-hectare farm and you are allocated a tractor, a tractor can do almost 500 hectares a year. So, you must also pass on those prices to your neighbours, those that cannot afford the tractor.”

He also addressed farmers’ concerns over delays in receiving tractors from Belarus, “We have 2,000 tractors, 9,000 different implements, spare parts, and mobile workshops. We signed this contract in September 2024, looking at September 2025. They’ve been delivered to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, but we are working on modalities of financing before rolling out to farmers. In the past, tractors were given out and ended up across the border. We have to make sure that these tractors are secured, performing, and producing.”

Kyari further explained Nigeria’s food importation policy, stressing that it is only a temporary measure.

“The importation window was only for six months and it had come and gone. The amount that was imported when you look at the global demand field is not as much as it will make farmers discouraged to go into agricultural production,” he said.