Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State on Monday reaffirmed his administration’s plan to turn the state into Nigeria’s leading agricultural powerhouse through full mechanisation, beginning with the dry-season farming programme set for December 2025. Speaking during an inspection tour of the Bureau of Agricultural Development and Mechanisation in Makurdi, he reviewed progress at the state’s tractor and equipment assembly plant, a key driver for expanding agribusiness and improving food security.
The governor noted that the Agribusiness Mechanisation Centre, operating from the Bureau for Entrepreneurship and Wealth Creation premises, has already trained more than 900 youths in tractor assembly and modern farming techniques. He also inspected 41 newly assembled tractors ranging from 25hp to 95hp, along with combine harvesters, threshers, planters, fertilizer applicators, excavators, and yam mounders.
According to him, these investments are designed to cut down manual labour and increase productivity across farmlands, supporting high-demand sectors like agricultural technology, mechanised farming, and commercial crop production.
Alia restated his government’s commitment to sustaining the Public Private Partnership with Mass International & Equipment Nigeria Limited, also known as SABASPAC Int’l Ltd., facilitated by the Bureau for Entrepreneurship and Wealth Creation under Ms. Benita Shuluwa in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. During the visit, he also toured demonstration farms featuring smart seedlings of papaya, cocoa, rice, and oil palm.
He directed the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security to immediately allocate all government-owned agricultural lands for planting improved seedlings of oranges, mangoes, guinea corn, wheat, barley, and sorghum.
The governor encouraged farmers across Benue to take advantage of the improved seedlings available at the Bureau, stressing that access to enhanced inputs is key to the state’s transformation agenda. “Mechanisation is the future of farming in Benue. With modern equipment and improved seedlings, our farmers will not only feed the state but contribute significantly to national food security,” he said.
