By Ayodele Johnson

Before Nigeria can achieve maximum food security for its citizens, it must first start with an agricultural transformation that involves strict mechanised farming which is why a tractor assembly plant within the country will soon be realised.

Getting this area sorted was part of Vice President Kashim Shettima’s interests when he visited the United States of America on Sunday 22 October to attend the African Development Bank’s World Food Prize, from where he drew in the commitment. The trip, according to a State House press release on Monday, has secured a tentative agreement towards an investment by an American company John Deere who wants to build the plant.

The statement confirmed that the meeting was brokered by Mr John Coumantaros, who is the Chairman of Flour Mills of Nigeria. New partnerships entered by Nigeria are likely to enhance the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) project, which launched on 31 December 2021. One of the goals of SAPZ is to “enhance food and nutritional security”, which has come under threat due to climate-induced challenges noticeable in recent times.

At the investment meeting was Mr Jason Brantley, John Deere’s Vice President of Production Systems. It was with him, as well as Nigeria’s minister for agriculture, Sen. Abubakar Kyari that Shettima said: “Without mechanisation, you can never be truly self-sufficient in food production. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is fully committed to revitalising the Nigerian agricultural sector. And for us to be self-sufficient in food production, three key elements are essential. First is certified seeds, then mechanisation, provision of fertiliser and of course, agricultural extension services.”

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The declaration of “a food security emergency in August this year” by his principal, President Bola Tinubu explains “the fact that we are exposed to all the volatility in the world”, says Shettima. This is the reason that the government is “putting in place the mechanisms towards addressing challenges in the (agricultural) sector and we cannot afford to do otherwise.”

VP Shettima @officialsksm woos investors in US: American firm, John Deere, to establish tractor assembly plant in Nigeria

Full statement: https://t.co/EIvQd1Oxhk#StateHousePressRelease pic.twitter.com/OwLFbkxN8K

— Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) October 30, 2023

While Nigeria’s needs and requirements to nurture a sustainable agro value chain are clear, it was the feedback from Mr Brantley that will arouse enthusiasm.

His company seems ready to “immediately engage relevant authorities in Nigeria” so as to work out the procedures that are absolutely necessary before the tractor assembly plant can be set up, which is good news for the rural agricultural communities needing the intervention. Down in the urban areas and city centres, many are relying on them to feed.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.