Benue State has taken a decisive step toward boosting large-scale food production, as Governor Hyacinth Alia inspected a fresh fleet of agricultural machinery ahead of the state’s 2025 dry-season farming programme scheduled to begin in December.
Speaking during an assessment tour of the ongoing tractor and equipment assembly operations at the Bureau of Agricultural Development and Mechanization, the Governor said the new mechanisation push would unlock the full agricultural potential of the state, widely known as the Food Basket of the Nation.
A statement from his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Kula Tersoo, noted that the Governor reaffirmed his commitment to achieving full agricultural mechanisation through a Public-Private Partnership with Mass International & Equipment Nigeria Limited (SABASPAC Int’l Ltd.), an arrangement coordinated by the Bureau for Entrepreneurship and Wealth Creation in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
During the visit, Governor Alia inspected 41 newly assembled tractors ranging from 25hp to 95hp, and a range of complementary implements, including combine harvesters, threshers, planters, fertilizer applicators, excavators and yam mounders. He also toured demonstration farms showcasing improved seedlings of papaya, cocoa, rice and oil palm.
The Governor highlighted early gains from the partnership, revealing that more than 900 youths have already been trained in tractor assembly and modern agricultural techniques through the Agribusiness Mechanization Centre.
He further directed the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security to map out all government-owned agricultural lands for the cultivation of improved varieties of oranges, mangoes and key grains such as sorghum, barley, wheat and guinea corn.
Governor Alia urged farmers to access the improved seedlings now available at the Bureau, stressing that quality inputs remain central to Benue’s agricultural transformation agenda.
