FG Begins Distribution of 2,000 Tractors to Farmers

The federal government has announced the commencement of the distribution of 2,000 tractors and over 9,000 agricultural implements across the country under the Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanisation Programme (RHAMP).

In a statement issued on Monday, Abubakar Kyari, minister of agriculture and food security, described the initiative as “the largest mechanisation drive in Africa”.

Kyari said the rollout would be phased, beginning with 600 tractors, followed by 750 and 650 units.

According to the minister, more than 100,000 applications were received for the first phase alone.

“The tractors will be deployed through Mechanisation Service Providers under a lease-to-own model, with each tractor expected to serve about 600 hectares annually, expanding access to mechanisation for over one million farmers,” he said.

He added that the programme includes structured financing, maintenance support, mobile service trucks and the establishment of mechanisation centres to ensure sustainability and long-term impact.

DISTRIBUTION BEGINS EIGHT MONTHS AFTER PROJECT LAUNCH

The rollout comes eight months after President Bola Tinubu launched the RHAMP in June 2025.

Also known as the Belarus Project, the initiative was introduced as part of efforts to reform Nigeria’s food system, with the country taking delivery of 2,000 tractors, 10 combine harvesters, 12 mobile workshops, 9,000 farming implements and 9,000 spare parts kits.

Earlier this month, Reports shows that although the machinery had arrived in the country, distribution had yet to fully commence, with a significant number of the implements gathering dust in Abuja.

Following the report, federal lawmakers queried Sabi Abdullahi, minister of state for agriculture and food security, over the whereabouts of the tractors.

The lawmakers said the absence of the tractors on farmlands had raised concerns about the government’s implementation strategy, particularly amid rising food prices.

Addressing the joint senate and house of representatives committees on agricultural production during a session to review the ministry’s 2025 budget performance and defend its 2026 estimates, Abdullahi said the government was being cautious.

“We are deliberately taking time to ensure that what happened in the past does not repeat itself,” Abdullahi said.