By Isaac Mission
The Enugu State Government has renewed its plan to acquire 1,000 tractors as part of efforts to modernise farming, increase food production and transform agriculture into a major driver of the state’s economy.
The initiative is being supported by the establishment of an agricultural mechanisation hub, the Nortra Tractor Assembly Plant and Service Centre, developed in partnership with investors from Denmark.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Patrick Nwabueze Ubru, disclosed the development during a facility tour organised for members of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Enugu State Council.
According to Ubru, the facility will play a major role in helping the state achieve its tractor acquisition target. He explained that although local assembly has yet to commence fully, the plant already has tractor components stored and is capable of assembling up to 10 tractors daily, with additional capacity available for expansion.
The commissioner said the state had already acquired at least 150 tractors, a significant increase from the limited number available before the current administration came into office.
He added that 67 tractors have so far been deployed to farms across the state, with farmers accessing the equipment through a leasing arrangement at N70,000 per day. The rate, he noted, is substantially lower than the previous cost of about N150,000 per day.
Beyond tractor assembly and leasing, the facility is expected to produce and supply agricultural implements, including disc ploughs, harrows, planters and harvesters, which will improve farmers’ efficiency and reduce the physical burden associated with traditional farming.
Ubru also projected that the mechanisation programme could generate more than 3,000 jobs, particularly for young people who would be trained and employed in tractor assembly, operation, servicing and maintenance.
Managing Director of Nortra Tractor Assembly, Morten Andersen, said the company had the technical capacity and infrastructure required to support the state's mechanisation objectives.
The facility also houses a service and repair centre as well as a training institute designed to equip local technicians with skills needed to operate and maintain modern agricultural machinery.
The state government sees the project as a key component of its broader plan to expand commercial agriculture and agribusiness, while supporting farm estates and making mechanised equipment more accessible to farmers.
With the government targeting the deployment of 1,000 tractors, the initiative is expected to contribute to increased agricultural productivity, youth employment and the expansion of Enugu’s agribusiness sector.