Benue Rolls Out 41 New Tractors for Dry-Season Farming

News in brief:

-Benue State is set to kick off a major dry-season farming programme in December 2025 with 41 newly assembled tractors and a suite of modern farm machines.

-Governor Alia says over 900 youths have already been trained in mechanised farming, and improved seedlings are now available for farmers across the state.

Benue State is setting the stage for a major agricultural shift as Governor Hyacinth Alia inspected newly assembled tractors and farm machines ahead of the state’s dry-season farming programme scheduled to begin in December 2025.

The inspection took place at the Agribusiness and Mechanisation Centre in Makurdi, where the state’s growing inventory of equipment is being prepared for deployment.

According to the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the visit aimed to confirm Benue’s readiness to enter a new era of mechanised agriculture supported by modern technology and stronger public-private collaboration.

41 Tractors and Cutting-Edge Machines Ready for Deployment

During the tour, Governor Alia assessed 41 tractors of varying horsepower capacities, along with an array of specialised equipment, including threshers, planters, excavators, and yam mounders. These machines form part of the state’s effort to modernise land preparation, planting, harvesting and agro-processing, especially during the dry season when mechanisation is essential.

The Agribusiness and Mechanisation Centre, built through a Public-Private Partnership between Mass International, Equipment Nigeria Limited, the Bureau for Entrepreneurship and Wealth Creation, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, is already showing tangible progress, officials say.

Youth Empowerment and Improved Crop Varieties

Governor Alia highlighted that over 900 young people have been trained in tractor assembly and modern farming methods through the programme. This training, he noted, prepares the next generation of agriculture technicians, machine operators and agripreneurs.

The centre's demonstration farms are also recording success with improved varieties of cocoa, papaya, rice and oil palm, crops that hold strong value for both domestic consumption and export opportunities.

“Forty-one newly assembled tractors and several complementary farm machines are ready to support our dry-season farming programme beginning this December,” the governor said during the inspection.

Government Lands to Be Replanted With Improved Seedlings

To kickstart the dry-season programme, Governor Alia directed the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security to map out all government-owned agricultural lands for immediate planting and replanting using improved seedlings already available at the centre.

He listed oranges, mangoes, guinea corn, wheat, barley and sorghum as priority crops under the state’s new agricultural plan, a mix that strengthens food security while boosting the value chain for farmers and agro-processors.

He also urged farmers across the state to visit the Bureau of Agricultural Development and Mechanisation to access these improved seedlings, emphasising that they are a key component of the administration’s drive toward full agricultural mechanisation.