Ilorin: The Executive Director of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM), Dr. Kamal Rasheed, has praised Kwara State’s targeted efforts to enhance and maintain agricultural mechanisation. During a visit to the Kwara State Ministry of Agriculture, Rasheed highlighted how NCAM is producing farm machinery specifically tailored to meet Nigeria’s agricultural needs.
According to Voice of Nigeria, Rasheed detailed that the equipment, including ploughs, harvesters, and combined threshers, are designed using locally sourced materials. He explained that the Centre’s farm village concept will function as a hub for training, research, and demonstration, with machines being directly deployed to farms and integrated with post-harvest technologies. Additionally, NCAM plans to establish farm estates in Kwara equipped with solar-powered boreholes, drip irrigation, and the Elerinjare Dam, which can irrigate 150 hectares for dry-season farming. These initiatives, encompassing farm estates, irrigation projects, and machinery exhibitions, aim to enhance food production across the nation.
The Kwara Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Afees Alabi, expressed that this collaboration aligns with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s agricultural strategy. Alabi emphasized the state’s commitment to training farmers weekly through the Kwara Agricultural Development Project (KWADP), stating, “Training is the foundation of our mechanisation drive. We are determined to make modern agriculture the new standard in Kwara.”
Prof. Joshua Olaoye, the National Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers, acknowledged the significant progress made by the state in the agricultural sector. He announced a machinery exhibition scheduled for November 2025 in Ilorin, which will showcase homegrown technologies in ploughing, harvesting, irrigation, and processing, and is expected to attract farmers from across the country.