Agro-industrialisation: Cross River fabricates easy to operate utility machine for farmers

Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has said that the state was set for a paradigm shift in its agro- industrialisation drive by introducing easy to operate tractors and other agricultural equipment systems that are semi-manual.

Ayade who demonstrated a hand-operated ploughing machine at the Industrial Park, Calabar, described the special tractor as a “utility machine that has the ability to execute multiple farming tasks.”

He disclosed that though the machine originated from Asia, the West African Fabrication and Construction Academy, Calabar, which his administration established “will soon commence mass fabrication of it in collaboration with our Cambodian technical partners who are here.”

“This is a utility machine. This machine you are seeing here has the ability to execute multiple farming tasks. It is a new tractorisation system that is semi-manual. The machine ploughs, so it can plough your soil to enable you to plant. It is also a vehicle- all you need is change the steel tyre to a normal rubber tyre and put a hook at the back and it becomes a vehicle capable of carrying about five persons on the farm,” the governor explained.

Besides, Ayade disclosed further that “it is also a generator, it can generate electricity. It can equally function as a pumping machine to pump water to water your farm.”

Also, demonstrated at the Industrial Park was a hand-operated mini- mechanised rice milling machine.

The governor pledged that the milking machine would also be mass-produced at the Fabrication Academy, saying that the industrialised part of Asia actually started with the production of mini- machines.

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