Jigawa Govt Acquires 300 Tractors, 60 Combined Harvesters, Others for Distribution to Farmers
The Jigawa State Government has announced plans to distribute hundreds of mechanised farming tools to farmers across the state as part of its agricultural mechanisation initiative.
Addressing journalists at the Aminu Kano Triangle in Dutse, where the tools were kept, the Commissioner for Information, Youths, Sports and Culture, Sagir Musa Ahmed, said the display reflected the state’s status as one of the leading agricultural hubs in the country.
The state government procured 300 tractors with complete implements, 80 boom sprayers, 60 combined harvesters, 150 rice seeders and 150 maize seeders and showed them to journalists who were led by the Presidential media team on a tour of federal and state government projects across the northwest states.
He said the exhibition also highlighted the state’s growing dominance in food production and commitment to modern farming.
According to him, Jigawa remains the country’s leading producer of hibiscus, sesame, wheat and sorghum, while also ranking as the second-largest rice-producing state in Nigeria.
“As you come to Jigawa, you should know that Jigawa State is an agrarian state,” he said, adding that the government cultivated over 200 hectares of rice during the last wet season across the state.
Ahmed said the administration of Governor Umar Namadi was prioritising agriculture in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in the area of food security.
He described Governor Namadi as an “Agricultural Governor” who is committed to improving agricultural productivity and enhancing the livelihoods of farmers in the state.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of the Jigawa State Agricultural Mechanisation Agency, Ado Nasiru, said the state government established the Jigawa State Farm Mechanisation Service Company to boost food production, create employment opportunities and increase farmers’ incomes.
He explained that the mechanisation programme was decentralised across the state’s 30 political constituencies, with two service centres established in each constituency to ensure accessibility for farmers.
He informed the team that 30 technicians were initially recruited and sent to China for specialised training on the assembly, operation and maintenance of the equipment. Upon their return, they trained another 30 technicians, bringing the total number to 60.
The agency also trained 360 machine operators and 60 local technicians to support maintenance operations, all of whom were given permanent and pensionable appointments by the state government.
Nasiru further revealed that all 60 service centres had been completed, each equipped with offices, security facilities, equipment sheds and perimeter fencing, while the agency headquarters in Dutse remains under construction.
He added that each service centre has a 10-hectare demonstration farm dedicated to research and farmer education in modern agricultural technologies.
“We also have a very good fleet management system so that we can monitor our equipment and assess and evaluate our activities statewide,” he said.
On accessibility for farmers, Nasiru disclosed that the agency had developed a digital application system that would enable farmers to book mechanisation services remotely and receive equipment deployment directly to their farms.
“We have developed an app where even a farmer inside his room can book for an operation, and then we go and deliver,” he said.
He noted that the state government is hoping that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will find time to commission the project several other ones across the state.