DEBO Thomas, an Oyo-based investor in cashew farming, has a good knowledge of business. He has his finger on the pulse of export opportunities for cashew. He is based in Ogbomoso, a major cashew production belt.Nigeria’s agric eco system is gradually moving from less efficient mechanisation to drone technologies and robotics. Opportunities for digital platforms to promote tractor services are increasing, DANIEL ESSIET reports.
Cashew grown in the area is a coveted variety, indigenous to Ogbomoso. However, it is grown in small quantities.To unlock the potential in cashew, Thomas and other farmers need more tractors to clear more forests for cultivation. He has his own tractor. But his colleagues have been struggling with lack of tractors, a development which has exacerbated land preparation challenges.
Hardly can one find three tractors at a local government to rent for clearing.
He said the Federal Government should transfer tractors to areas of need.
Traditionally, Thomas said tractor demand is high during the first quarter of the year — when farmers prepare for sowing. He said there is a dearth of tractors for farmers.
Shortage of tractors is so severe that farmers have to wait for a week or two to get one to hire.
Without tractors at councils, farmers have no choice but to wait. Sometimes, they are forced to reduce farming until a tractor is free for hire.
He said commercialising agriculture had been a challenge as many farmers lack assistance. Some of the farmers have suffered years of backache and sore muscles from tilling fields with a hoe.Today, for few of them, such frustrating experiences are akin to water under the bridge.
Thomas has also inspired other smallholder farmers to venture into cashew farming.
Now, with population expected to double by 2050, farmers such as Thomas believe the nation must ditch the hoe in favour of modern technology, which will complete the same tasks far more efficiently.
Thomas said if farmers had enough support to clear the land, they could grow more cashew as the demand for the crop is huge.
He added that restructuring the tractor sector would enable farmers to exploit the country’s agricultural potential, fight against poverty, focus on the development of a modern, productivist, and export-oriented agriculture.
For the Managing Director, OCP Africa, Mohammed Hettiti, transformation from small-scale subsistence farms to mechanised, more commercially viable farms is essential, if Nigeria must achieve food sufficiency.
Hettiti told The Nation that his organisation was ready to partner a credible digital platform offering linkage services to farmers to hire tractors.
His organisation is already helping farmers in the North to improve agronomic practices to increase their yields. He travelled around the country and gained a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges that in the sector.