The Kano State government has disbursed N132 million to the All Farmers Association (AFAN) to facilitate its tractor lending programme.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje stated this yesterday when he inaugurated 50 new tractors bought under the programme, initiated by AFAN.
According to him, the seed money was meant to motivate the association to mitigate the problems of mechanisation.
He said: “There is a huge gap inhibiting agricultural development in this country, which is mechanisation. Our agricultural production does not match the needs of our economic development. That is why we must support programmes such as this to enable us move ahead.
“The government cannot buy tractors and give to farmers (as loans) – it is no longer practicable. Right from the distribution, politicians will hijack the tractors or the farmers themselves will collect the tractors, sell and marry more wives.
“As a politician, if you decide to prosecute defaulting farmers, you will lose votes, so you reluctantly allow them go unpunished. This is not the best, so a sustainable way, like this programme, must be fashioned out to aid our mechanisation process.”
Commissioner for Agriculture Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna explained that the programme targeted famers’ cooperative societies, who were expected to deposit a percentage of the cost of the tractors, while repayment was spread over two years.
Chairman of AFAN Faruk Rabi’u Mudi said the tractor loan was stress-free without mortgaging of land such that farmers would be able to acquire them easily.