Farmers Want Review Of Tractor Hiring Scheme

Some farmers in Hadejia,
Jigawa State, have urged the Federal Government to expand the tractor hiring scheme to rural farmers in the country.
A cross section of the farmers who spoke to The Tide recently in Hadejia, said that expansion of the programme would enhance productivity.
A farmer, Malam Gambo Aminu, urged the government to review the programme to include small holder farmers.
Aminu said they were not accessing tractors and other services under the programme due to high cost of the equipment and cumbersome processes.
“The tractor hiring scheme is favouring large scale farmers since most of us could not meet the laid down conditions to access the services.
“Review of the scheme will enhance agricultural mechanisation and encourage productivity.”
A tomato grower, Sunusi Babaji, however, commended the Federal Government for the distribution of fertilisers, seeds and chemicals to the farmers.
Babaji said most farmers in the state had redeemed their inputs allocation under the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) programme.
The farmer called for the review of GES initiative to provide tractors, water pumps, processing equipment and other farming tools to the farmers.
The GES is the flagship programme of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda through which fertiliser and seeds are allocated to registered farmers on their mobile phones through an electronic system known as the e-wallet.
The Tide reports that the Federal Government had distributed 15,000 tonnes of fertilisers, seeds and chemicals to 154,000 registered farmers in the state during the last dry season.
Similarly, more than 20,000 tonnes of fertilisers had been earmarked for distribution to 200,000 registered farmers under the programme this farming season.