Mechanizations the vehicle for Agricultural Transformation Agenda

Mechanizations  the vehicle for Agricultural Transformation Agenda

VISION:

An agricultural sector with reduced drudgery, small effective workforce ensuring national food security and meeting the industrial raw material and export needs of the nation.

MISSION:

To promote the development of agriculture, and management of related natural resources to achieve sustainable food security and production of agricultural raw materials to meet the needs of our expanding industrial sector and export market with the effect of enhancing farm income and reducing poverty.

The above is the mission and vision of the Ministry of Agriculture in Nigeria.

The critical means of achieving the above goals sets in the vision is by mechanization and technology;

·         Mechanization reduced drudgery

·         Mechanization creates small effective workforce

·         Mechanization leads to food security

·         Mechanization help to produce the surplus that can be use for raw materials 

·         Mechanization enhance farmers income

One discouraging factor which impedes young people’s willingness to participate in agricultural practice is the drudgery, tediousness and frustratingly low income associated with the traditional methods of farming.

The introduction of improved technologies capable of reducing the associated drudgery and cumbersomeness and enhance productivity which predicts increased income, will indubitably make farming attractive to young people. There is thus the need to train a new generation of farmers on mechanization technologies.

In order to achieve the goal of agricultural transformation, it is important that the government should enhance and empower institutions like National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization.

NCAM was formally established by Decree (now Act of the National Assembly) No.35 of 1990 with the mandate to fast-track the positive transformation in the agricultural sector of the Nigerian economy in order to increase the quantity and quality of agricultural products through the introduction and development of need-based, home-grown agricultural mechanization technologies.

This mandate is being achieved through the following specific functions:

i)To encourage and engage in adaptive and innovative research towards the development of indigenous machines for farming and processing techniques;

ii. To design and develop simple and low-cost equipment which can be manufactured with local materials, skills and facilities;

iii. To standardize and certify, in collaboration with the Standards Organizations of

Nigeria (SON), agricultural machines, equipment and engineering practices in use in Nigeria;

iv. To bring into focus mechanical technologies and equipment developed by various institutions, agencies or bodies and evaluate their suitability for adoption;

v. To assist in the commercialization of proven machines, equipment, tools and techniques;

vi. To disseminate information on methods and program for achieving speedy agricultural mechanization;

The Centre has also been empowered to develop and test a large array of mechanization technologies (e.g. tractors, weeders, peelers, threshers, planters, harvesters, seed broadcasters, fertizer spreaders, and various crops processing machineries and devices for different categories of Nigerian crops. The extension and transfer to local fabricators and other members of the public of these technologies should be sustained and expanded.

All the department of Agricultural engineering in Nigerian University and Polytechnics should be overhauled and equipped to produce well trained agricultural engineers to provide qualified personnel to drive our Mechanization.

It is important to note that no matter how good our production system may be, we must have a good and robust post harvest technology in order to achieve our food security. This could be easily achievable if we have a very efficient processing machines to add value to our products.

In the light of the above, it is important that the government should come to the Aid of Agricultural Machinery and Equipment fabrication association of Nigeria by addressing the following constrain that is confronting the Agricultural equipment fabrication Industry:

1 Land holding and land yield per hectare in Nigeria. The average farmers in Nigeria have a very small land portion to farm and coupled with poor agric practice the yield per hectare is very small. Therefore the use o machine and equipment is not profitable.

2. Government policies are not encouraging application of technology in agriculture. The vision and mission of federal Ministry of agriculture in Nigeria has no focus on agric machinery production

3. Steel industry, the producer, of primary raw material (iron and steel) is almost non existence in the nation thereby making the manufacturers of agric equipment to depend on imported iron and steel

4. Power sector in the nation is not stable and diesel is unbearably expensive thereby making the cost of building equipment very high.

5. The primary machines necessary for equipment fabrication that are available to Nigerian fabricators are obsolete as they cannot afford the new and modern equipments

6. There is no fund available to Nigerian fabricators. The paper fund that was announced in the press by the central bank of Nigeria is not accessible to fabricators

7. The federal government through her agencies, apart from few of them like Raw material research development council, NCAM, NEPC and IITA, are not helping the fabricators to develop their capacity.

8. Capacity building of the fabricators is almost non existence.

9. Importation of agricultural equipment that can be produce in Nigeria is a great treat to Nigerian fabricators.

10. Results of research on agricultural equipment are not readily available to the fabricators.

11. Nigerian fabricators can be describe as a one man Local government, because he generate his own power, produce his own water(bore hole) and he build his own road and he is expected to fund his own research and yet he is expected to pay tax to another Government who is not interested in his welfare.
12. Lack of entrepreneurial skill among the fabricators that prevent them from developing their business to suitable level.

The Government can address some of the above constrain through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and her related Agencies by doing the following;

·        Bann equipment that can be easily produce in the country
• Set aside prototype development fund.
• Design development centre
• Supervised grant to private enterprise to produce the designed equipment
• Equipment and facility upgrading for private Fabricators enterprise
• Establishment of industrial parks.
• Exchange program for the engineers in private sector, within and without the country.

Nigeria is a land full of potential and mechanization of agriculture processes will lead to the Transformation that we desired.

Engr. Anthony Egba

National Secretary.

Agricultural Machinery and Equipment

Fabricators Association of Nigeria (AMEFAN)

08038037674