As part of its efforts to boost agricultural production in the rural communities, the authorities of Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State have empowered Fadama III farmer groups with four tractors worth N3.2 million.
BusinessDay reports that the tractors were donated to Eye Fadama 111 Community Association of Ikiran-Ile in the council to boost its farming operations in the locality.
Joseph Akerejola, chairman, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, who donated the tractors to the association at Igarra, the administrative headquarters of the council, said it was another milestone for the council to improve food production in the local government.
According to him, this is another milestone of my new administration and without being told those power tractors would improve food production in the local government. “The use of modern tractors would definitely improve farming system, thereby increasing farm produce and food production in the rural communities and the entire country, since it is source of food for the survival of any individual and the nation,” he said.
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Earlier, Aliyu Zakari, head of department of agriculture in the council, said the era of using primitive farm tools was gradually giving way in the local government council by the arrival of the power tractors.
Zakari said the local government, state and Federal Government in collaboration with the United Nations had paid their counterpart funding to the project as well as the community farming association.
“By these tractors, the labour of the farmers is drastically reduced because what the work group of farmers will do in a week won’t take tractors an hour to finish. The era of using hole and cutlasses is gradually fading out and technology has brought development in the agricultural sector as well. By this we are marching towards mechanised farming,” he said.
He however assured that the local government authorities will contribute to the maintenance of the tractors.
Responding, chairman of the association, Odio Samson noted that the tractors would go a long way to alleviate the plights of his members, saying the tractors cost N800,000 each while N120, 000 was spent on its transportation from the point of purchase to the council headquarters.
