Agriculturist urges Benue govt. to provide more tractors for mechanised farming

An Agriculturist, Mr Joseph Kuku, has appealed to the Benue Government to acquire more tractors to cater to the growing needs of farmers who intend to engage in large-scale farming.

Kuku made the call in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Makurdi.

He underscored the need to discourage farmers from practising the traditional methods of farming, so as to boost the government’s efforts to achieve food security.

Kuku said that the Benue Tractor Hiring Agency should be repositioned and well-equipped to provide quality tractor hiring services for farmers, particularly now when the government was striving to diversify the economy.

“Agriculture is the major option in the new arrangement because agriculture was the mainstay of the country’s economy, prior to the discovery of oil.

“Groundnut, cocoa and rubber, among other agricultural produce, were then sustaining the country’s economy.

“The current potential of agriculture is enormous because modern farming techniques have made faming less tedious,’’ he said.

Kuku said that agriculture had the capacity to turn the nation’s economic fortunes around, if the government decided to give it priority attention to the development of the sector.