President Tinubu commissions mechanised agric centre in Katsina

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday commissioned the Katsina State Agricultural Mechanisation Centre, where 400 brand new tractors and supporting implements have been assembled. At the ceremony, he stated that “This isn’t just about machines—it’s about food security, economic empowerment, and the future of our youth. Once we free ourselves from hunger, peace and prosperity will naturally follow.”

On agricultural development, the President emphasised that “agriculture must remain at the heart of Nigeria’s development strategy. The era of subsistence farming is over—we are investing in modern farming techniques, mechanisation, irrigation, and water management.”

The President further announced that the Bank of Agriculture is being restructured and recapitalized to make funding accessible to farmers across all levels. Declaring that Nigeria must achieve food sovereignty.

On federal projects in Katsina, the President confirmed that the second phase of the Katsina-Kano Road project is underway following the resolution of technical and bureaucratic issues. He also announced that contracts have been awarded for full rehabilitation of Maraba–Kankara–Zango–Katsina Road and Sabuwa–Rimi–Danja–Dayi–Funtua–Dandume Road.

The Kano–Jigawa–Katsina–Maradi Rail project is expected to be completed by 2026, which “will ease the movement of goods and people, and reduce the burden on our roads,” according to the President.

“Let me assure you again: Katsina has not been forgotten. Many more federal projects are in the pipeline to support your growth and development,” President Tinubu affirmed.

Mr Tinubu paid tribute to past leaders from Katsina, saying, “Let us take a moment to remember the great leaders Katsina has given to this nation—late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and others whose service helped shape our democracy. May Almighty Allah forgive their shortcomings and grant them eternal peace.”

Earlier, in his opening remarks, Governor Radda highlighted Agriculture, Infrastructure, Human Capital Development, Security, and Service Delivery as the pillars of his administration developmental objectives.

“Katsina is an agrarian state, and most of our people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. We have over 450,000 smallholder farmers with an average land size of 2.5ha, most of whom rely on government support to produce profitably and sustainably,” Governor Radda stated.

Speaking on the newly commissioned Agricultural Mechanisation Centre, Governor Radda explained that it would serve all 34 local government areas in the state.

“We have 400 Lovol tractors, 10 multi-functional combine harvesters, 400 disc harrows and ridgers, 70 tractor trailers, and 1,000 multi-planters with us today. Mechanisation will help our farmers reduce the average cost of cultivation per hectare and open new land for cultivation,” he said.

The Governor revealed that his administration conducted a comprehensive survey of 411,000 farms across the state, representing over 90% of farms.

“Over 65% of farms reported high input cost and low soil fertility as significant challenges. To this end, the state spent over 20 billion to provide 400,000 bags of fertilzer (20,000 metric tonnes) in 2024,” the Governor noted.

Governor Radda announced that the distribution of 400,000 bags of fertiliser for the 2025 wet season farming would begin the following Monday. He stated that the state has provided over 6,000 solar-powered water pumps to support irrigation and dry-season farming.