Concerns are mounting across Nigeria’s agricultural sector as thousands of tractors acquired under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope National Agricultural Mechanisation Programme remain largely inaccessible to farmers, even as the cost of hiring tractors continues to soar nationwide.
The mechanisation initiative was launched in June 2025 by President Bola Tinubu as part of efforts to modernise agriculture, improve food production, and reduce dependence on manual farming methods. The programme involved the acquisition of 2,000 tractors, 10 combine harvesters, 12 mobile workshops, and 9,000 agricultural tools through a partnership with Belarus and support from a ₦50 billion seed fund provided by the Bank of Industry.
At the launch, the government projected that the equipment would help cultivate more than 550,000 hectares of farmland, generate over two million metric tonnes of food, create more than 16,000 jobs, and directly benefit over 550,000 farming households across the country.
However, almost a year later, many of the tractors are reportedly still parked at government facilities awaiting deployment. Investigations revealed that a significant number remain at the premises of the National Agricultural Seeds Council in Sheda, along the Abuja-Lokoja highway, despite earlier promises of nationwide distribution.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture had initially announced a phased rollout beginning with 600 tractors. Officials disclosed that over 100,000 applications were received during the first phase alone, demonstrating strong demand from farmers and agricultural service providers.
However, the distribution process has since undergone major changes. Rather than being distributed directly through the Ministry of Agriculture, responsibility for the programme has been transferred to the Bank of Agriculture (BoA), which has adopted a different operational model.
According to the BoA, the tractors will not be given directly to individual farmers. Instead, they will be sold at subsidised rates to mechanisation service providers under a structured financing arrangement. The bank believes this model will allow each tractor to serve hundreds of farmers annually rather than benefiting only a single owner.
Under the arrangement, beneficiaries are expected to pay 25 percent upfront while the remaining balance is recovered gradually through a pay-as-you-work financing system spread over three to five years. The tractors are also equipped with satellite tracking technology to monitor their deployment and usage.
While policymakers defend the revised approach, farmers across several states say they are yet to experience the benefits promised under the programme. In states such as Katsina, many farmers reported seeing newly acquired tractors parked at local government secretariats without being deployed to farms. Others said they applied for access but received no further communication from authorities.
The delay comes at a particularly difficult period for farmers because mechanisation costs have risen sharply across the country. Rising fuel prices, high maintenance expenses, and increased equipment costs have pushed tractor hiring charges beyond the reach of many smallholder farmers.
In Nasarawa State, farmers reported significant increases in tractor rental fees, with operators now charging based on terrain, fuel consumption, and farm size. Many farmers say the lack of available equipment during peak planting seasons is worsening the situation.
The situation appears even more severe in Kogi State, where some farmers reported that tractor hiring costs have doubled from about ₦300,000 in 2025 to approximately ₦600,000 in 2026. Several farmers also complained about poor equipment conditions and additional repair costs before the machines can be used effectively.
Agricultural experts warn that delayed access to mechanisation could negatively affect food production at a time when Nigeria continues to battle food inflation and supply shortages. They argue that timely land preparation remains critical for achieving optimal crop yields during the rainy season.
Experts further note that mechanisation is essential for expanding cultivated land, improving productivity, reducing labour costs, and attracting younger Nigerians into agriculture. Without efficient deployment of tractors and related equipment, many farmers may continue relying on labour-intensive traditional methods that limit output.
The developments have raised questions about implementation bottlenecks within one of the Federal Government’s flagship agricultural programmes. While officials maintain that the revised distribution model will ensure broader access and better accountability, farmers argue that the benefits remain largely theoretical until the machines reach actual farmlands.
As the planting season progresses, stakeholders say the success of the mechanisation programme will ultimately be judged not by the number of tractors purchased but by how effectively they are deployed to support farmers and boost national food production.