By Awyetu Asabe Hope
The Bank of Agriculture has proposed a nationwide partnership with the House of Representatives to deploy mechanised farming across 1.2 million hectares spanning the country’s 360 federal constituencies.
The bank’s Managing Director, Ayo Sotinriade, unveiled the initiative during plenary in Abuja on Tuesday, describing it as a strategic intervention to boost food production, create jobs, and tackle rural poverty.
Under the proposal, each lawmaker would contribute 60 per cent of the cost of a tractor to be deployed within their constituency, forming the backbone of a decentralised mechanisation scheme targeting grassroots farmers.
Sotinriade said a single tractor can cover at least five hectares per hour and up to 600 hectares annually, noting that a planned rollout of 2,000 tractors could collectively service 1.2 million hectares each year.
He explained that the tractors would anchor integrated farming hubs to be established on secured land provided by lawmakers, supported by a booking system to ensure efficient use.
The hubs, he added, would offer farmers access to inputs, irrigation, aggregation services, finance, and extension support, enabling year-round farming and up to three production cycles annually.
According to him, the intervention aims to raise yields to over two tonnes per hectare while transitioning farmers from subsistence to commercial production and positioning Nigeria as a net food exporter.
He also noted that vulnerable groups, including internally displaced persons in states such as Borno and Benue, stand to benefit through improved access to equipment and structured agricultural support.
Nigeria currently faces low mechanisation levels, with fewer than one tractor per 1,000 hectares, a gap that has constrained productivity and left farmers exposed to climate shocks and labour shortages.
The BoA boss said the initiative would help address these challenges while reducing unemployment and insecurity linked to low incomes.
The proposal comes amid renewed calls for the recapitalisation and restructuring of the bank to strengthen its capacity to drive large-scale agricultural transformation.
If implemented, the partnership is expected to deepen financial inclusion, expand rural livelihoods, and support the Federal Government’s push to diversify the economy through agriculture.
