First Lady flags off 2026 farming season, pushes shift to mechanised agriculture
…distributes 250 tractors to boost food security …urges farmers to abandon hoes, cutlasses for modern farmin First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, has officially flagged off the 2026 farming season
...distributes 250 tractors to boost food security
...urges farmers to abandon hoes, cutlasses for modern farmin
First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, has officially flagged off the 2026 farming season in Niger State, calling for a decisive shift from subsistence farming to modern, commercially driven agriculture.
She said Nigeria can no longer depend on traditional tools such as hoes and cutlasses to meet the food demands of its growing population, urging farmers to adopt mechanised and modern farming methods.
Tinubu made the call on Saturday at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport during the launch of the farming season and distribution of mechanisation support equipment aimed at boosting food production and tackling food insecurity.
She stressed that embracing innovation and modern practices is essential to achieving sustainable food security, describing the rollout of agricultural inputs and machinery as a strong signal of Nigeria’s readiness to transition into commercial-scale farming.
The First Lady commended the Niger State Government for aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly in advancing food security initiatives.
She also lauded farmers across the country for their contributions, urging beneficiaries of the support programme to utilise the equipment and inputs effectively.
The intervention by the Niger State Government includes the deployment of 250 units of 75-horsepower tractors, 50 combined multi-crop harvesters, 1,500 farming implements, such as planters and boom sprayers, and 150,000 bags of fertiliser.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago said the initiative is designed to transform agriculture across the state and position Niger as a key contributor to the national food supply.
He explained that 10 tractors would be allocated to each of the state’s 25 local government areas to enhance mechanisation at the grassroots, while the introduction of harvesters is expected to significantly reduce post-harvest losses, which can reach up to 90 per cent depending on the crop.
Bago reaffirmed that agriculture remains a top priority for his administration, noting that the programme aims to improve productivity, strengthen the agricultural value chain, and enhance food security nationwide.
The Governor projected that these investments will directly support farming activities on 120,000 hectares of land across the state, revealing that the mechanisation drive will create about 2,000 direct jobs and roughly 100,000 indirect jobs, yielding an estimated 500,000 tons of assorted food products per season for both wet and dry season farming.
To protect farmers from post-harvest market gluts, Bago assured that the state government is already working out modalities for the massive off-take of surplus outputs by farmers, calling on farmers and stakeholders to work closely with the Niger Food Security and Logistics Limited, a state-owned enterprise, to ensure seamless operations.
Looking toward year-round food production, Bago announced plans to expand the state's irrigation facilities, stating that the government will complete a 10,000-hectare solar-powered irrigation system to enable multiple production cycles within a single year.
The state Commissioner of Agriculture, Isah Sidi Rijau echoed these sentiments, noting that the distribution represents a clear demonstration of the state's unwavering commitment to agricultural transformation.
He described the agenda as a necessary paradigm shift from mere lip service to actionable plans designed to reposition agriculture as the backbone of the state's economy and ensure food security.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabu Abdullahi, said that the event is a process of making Nigeria great, adding that Niger State is providing leadership in demonstrating how the nation can increase agricultural productivity so that farmers can produce within the context of the President's Renewed Hope Agenda.
