The Executive Director, National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM) Ilorin, Dr. Yomi Kasali has canvassed adequate inspection by the institution on agricultural equipment being imported into the country.
Kasali, while deploring the alleged abandonment of heaps of imported moribund tractors in the premises of many Nigerian parastatals, said the colossal waste could have been averted if NCAM participated in the process leading to their purchase.
He spoke yesterday in Ilorin, during the passing out ceremony of 50 tractors’ operators and mechanics trained by the institute and drawn across the federation to enhance the nation’s agriculture service delivery.
Many agriculture experts attended the event, held at the same time with the graduation of 30 trainees of Integrated Agricultural Entrepreneurship, across Nigeria.
“One of our core mandates at this institute is to inspect before use, all the agriculture equipment imported into the country.
“But unfortunately, many end users of such machines especially, tractors don’t usually involve us. The results are many tractors that are being abandoned either due to lack of spare parts or expertise skills at repairing them. This attitude is not too good for our economic growth,” he said.
He charged the graduands to transfer the acquired skills to many others in their localities, noting that such attitude would bolster the agriculture potential of Nigeria among the comity of nations.
