…As Bobmanuel says, ‘Imported tractors will never give Nigeria mechanised agric’
Industry experts have said that two types of fraud are running and ruining Nigeria’s agric mechanisation subsector. The first is the dumping of tractors from different continents that do not last long in Africa.
Waves of such tractors lie waste in many farms across Nigeria’s farm zones. Their parts are hard to come by, and their maintenance suck back everything that was gained from cheap purchase cost. The marketers and government agents that made the deals walk away with fortunes while the agric fortune dies right there.
The next is the supply of low-grade tractors of between 30 and 40 horse power (HP) in the name of 60 hp. When it is time to till the farm soils, they find that the tractors can’t pull the implements such as tiller and ploughs.
The suppliers would give one excuse or the other until the large-scale farmers or government agencies are frustrated and walk away.
Now, all that seems to have come to an end, except for state governments and agencies plus individuals that still want to swim in sorrow and loss.
The solution was found by a Rivers son who schooled far away in the north (BUK Kano) and returned with a zeal for agric mechanisation and tractorisation. He is Ibifiri Bobmanuel, president of the Rivers Entrepreneurs and Investors Forum (REIF) who is now the founder of Africa’s most reliable tractor series, Bobtrack Tractor Limited.
The Made-In-Port Harcourt tractors are said to have wiped off the two treacheries in the tractor market. The Bobtrack Tractors which have been endorsed in Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, and made waves by selling out in China, have been found to stand the climatic conditions in Africa as well as have the capacity to pull any kind of implement to give the buyer exact value for money spent.
Explaining the technical aspects, Bobmanuel said if you till a farm with a 30 or 40hp tractor to haul a 100hp equipment, it won’t deliver at the right value. So, you must fit in 40hp for 40hp equipment, 100 for 100.
Read also: Why Nigeria may remain a poor country – Local tractor manufacturer
Tractor fraud:
The Bobtrack CEO told BusinessDaySunday in an interview that people do all manner of crookery in tractor importation.
“They import engines of about 30 or 40hp but sell them as 60hp. They then give you 100hp equipment to mount on it. Soon, it breaks down. They do upgrading to compete in the market.
“Ours, we invite you to inspect and the moment you see it, you know. We sold implements to a customer but his tractor could not lift them to work. He shouted against us, but our engineers proved to him the fault is from his tractor. For an experiment, we sent a tractor and it pulled them fine and worked well. His supplier kept telling him lies until he dumped his tractor and acquired ours to continue his work. The truth proved itself.”
Most dealers cut corners, he said. They comb Europe and America and bring what is known as farmhouse tractors. These are used to till farms that have been tilled for over 200 years and are used as farmhouse tractors. You dare not apply them in Africa, he warned.
“It is like a toy. It is for those farms with roofs. It’s like gardens. They are 30hp but sold as 60hp. This is the typical scenario around Nigeria with state authorities running around the world looking for tractors to launch mechanized agric schemes.”
You cannot carry out agric revolution with imported tractors
The REIF President warned authorities in Nigeria that the country cannot launch agric mechanisation scheme with foreign tractors. “Agric is very big and specific. We at Bobtrack see agric as is a service to the fatherland because every item we produce comes with solution mandate to a problem in Africa. They are not for general duties but specific solutions from study and research. In Europe, you have different climates unlike in Africa.”
He asked Nigerians to ask themselves where all those thousands of tractors acquired by various government agencies including the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) are working today.
“Where are they now? They have vanished into thin air. They are not meant for Nigeria. They went as far as Uk, US, India and Pakistan to buy them but they don’t work. The typical manufacturer looks at demographics but our demographics in Africa do not support manufacturing. So, foreign manufacturers join African requirements to the needs of other regions. It is only a country that has Africa at heart that will follow the kind of painstaking processes that we follow at Bobtrack. If you take them into the Nigeria environment, the particular tractor that will work in the Niger Delta is clearly different. If you take it to the north, it will need a particular type.”
In Africa, he stated, the soils are very hard. “This is because they have not been tilled for several centuries. It is now we are tilling soils in Africa. In other continents, the farms have been under tilling for over 200 years. Our farms are still like in the medieval era in Europe.”
Deal with MASENI, Nasarawa State Govt:
This is the good time to talk about the deal with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), and the Nasarawa state government. It is for a mechanised agric revolution to begin with full tractorisation. This involves mechanising every segment of farming or crop agriculture.
NASENI has the mission to create an enabling knowledge-driven environment for local mass production of standard parts, goods, and services required for the nation’s technological advancement. Its mandate is said to be to specifically in the area of capital goods research, production, and reverse engineering with respect to engineering materials (notably irons, steel, non-ferrous metal and alloys, plastics, glass, ceramics, polymer, electronics, and nanotechnology), including other five broad areas.
Now, we have signed the deal with the other two parties, making it a tripartite agreement. We have put pen on paper, on Thursday, July 11, 2024. NASENI is an agency under the Presidency.
He went on: “It provides infrastructure on ground from a facility they have had on ground for long. The Nasarawa State Governor facilitated the deal because he found it necessary to midwife the partnership with NASENI and Bobtrack.
“Bobtrack is the only indigenous tractor and agric equipment manufacturing company in Nigeria. He found it necessary to attract us to come and work with NASENI. They sought Bobtrack out through our General Manager, International Sales, Jerry Cunningham. He made it possible. It is an achievement that would always be credited to him and he has guided us all through.”
Bobmanuel hinted that the GM made the governors understand why they needed not go outside Nigeria when there is even a better product in-country; built, developed in Nigeria here. Going abroad would waste a lot of money and transfer jobs and wealth out; the sales experts made them realise.
“The Nasarawa State governor, Abdulahi Sule, from the very first moment you meet him, comes across as a man oozing with patriotism. I just picked instant liking for him. He does not strike one like any of those other governors.
“He immediately made his position very clear on the deal and within the snap of the finger, we had a meeting with NASENI that owns the facility. I give him big kudos for his foresight and zeal, plus a clear desire to see that the deal that would benefit his people was treated with dispatch.”
The tractor expert said the deal is a clarion call to other states. “This makes you appreciate where his state is today because of many foreign direct investments (FDIs) flowing into that state. It has been closed out with signings.”
On roles for partners, Bobmanuel said Bobtrack is wholly for agric manufacturing, and that they would be going to manufacture a bulk of tractors and implements such as the tractors, the harrows, the ploughs, the harvesters, buckets, the planters, tillers, fertilizer sprayers etc, in Nasarawa State. It will be another Port Harcourt. It will take us closer to where our market is.”
From research, he said, it is clear that most of their clients come from the north. He said it is like the north is more serious with agriculture than those in the South-South and South-East. Making Nasarawa a manufacturing centre for Bobtrack is seen as the singular benefit from the partnership.
Nasarawa State will gain jobs, he drilled down. They will buy Bobtrack tractors with ease. He said the governor made that position clear and he already is known as a champion of made-in-Nigeria philosophy. “He is going to be the brand champion. This makes it more convincing. If you have a governor that showcases your product, it makes it easier. That is what decides flow of fund from one parts of the country to the other. “This will make us invest more there. We will be producing 3000 tractors per year, plus other implements.
“In the next 90 days, our tractors would be rolling out in Nasarawa. Our job is cut out, and all hands are already on deck. At Bobtrack, we do not play with our word, true to our core values. Unveiling of first tractors will roll out and we intend to bring in the President and other governors to see.”
He described it as a win-win for Nigeria. “This is because, Nigeria does not need to go out and buy agric tractors when the best is being produced at home. You must learn to believe in the process and the technology you have at home, especially when what you have at home is a global beater.
“Our first five tractors sent to China were sold out same day. In that same event, we planned to bring in more for the next event but the Chinese government looked at our documents and said, wait a moment, you cannot bring them here, from Africa?”
He called it being protective (trade protectionism). He regretted that is only in Africa you see state governments pushing for foreign machines and hide theirs. “They travel out and bring products and distribute at home. We must find a way to stop all of this; stop dumping, protect your home products, then open your door.”
He reminded the Nigerian authorities that foreign products get grants to develop but local ones do not get any grant.
He said: “Bobtrack has spent billions of Naira to get to where we are without any single kobo grant or help from Government. The least we expect is for the state governments to look at what we have, test it, and make a decision.
“We have even taken loans at 30% while our competitors abroad are taking loans at less than 3%. Yet, we face neglect from our home governments.
“I am very pleased with our neighbouring governments in Africa such as Ghana and Rwanda. These are governments that go out of their way to seek partnerships with strong brands. And they appreciate that they are made in Africa. They have opened their doors. We have an office in Ghana now.”
It is in this light that the CEO views what the Nasarawa State governor is doing. “His state sits right in the middle of Nigeria. That gives us the chance to meet with our end users one on one.
“I have been saying it that Nigeria’s greatest potential is in agriculture. If we get agric right, we get all other things right. Today, food prices are going to the roof. The reason is easy; you are not spending what you should in agric. Farmers are spending huge sums to produce food. The earlier the govt identifies the serious companies, the better. Bobtrack is a serious company and we have demonstrated it.
We are coming up with strategies to how best to impact on what Nasarawa State people do. A lot of things will change in Nasarawa. We will produce to suit them.”
On whether state governments are aware that there is local alternative, and how he would create the awareness, Bobmanuel said: “What we are doing with Nasarawa State gives us a foot in the plough so we can get a footing into the governors’ forum. We keep trying to push to show that we have the technology. Foreign manufacturers cannot give the kind of after-sales service we have. We are building facilities near them. They don’t need to put calls to foreign lands to get back up services.
“We are going to do seminars, upscaling, etc. It goes beyond selling tractors. We also transfer technology. We are creating means of livelihood to their people.
“No other part of the world has our size of arable land and we cannot till our land with hoes. Only mechanisation will help. We are teaching them this, and the plant we are setting up in Nasarawa will prove a lot of things.”
He said for NASENI to deal with Bobtrack, it is becoming evident that the FG has some interest in looking for genuine solution to the food security threat. “I think the partnership with NASENI is a right step in the right direction. It allows us to make contribution in the food fight. We hope our effort will make a dent in the problem.”
