Niger State gets $650m boost from John Deere for farming equipment

Niger State has secured a massive $650 million financing deal from John Deere, the world-famous equipment maker based in the US.

The deal will provide the state with 600 high-capacity tractors, 200 high-capacity combine harvesters, 200 bulldozers, 200 excavators, and thousands of other farming implements, featuring the latest technology in planters, sprayers, fertilizer spreaders, etc.

The equipment will be deployed to develop and prepare 1 million hectares of land across the state, divided into about 100 farm estates of 10,000 hectares each.

The aim is to produce around 10 million tons of food every year to support President Bola Tinubu’s vision of food security for the nation.

The deal comes at an opportune time, as the state has already acquired 300 tractors separately, which will be delivered this month, along with other large-scale agricultural machinery.

With the development, the state is poised to become a major food provider for Nigeria and beyond.

The state is already one of the top producers of paddy rice in Nigeria. It also has the largest reserve of shea butter in the country, cementing its reputation as an agricultural powerhouse.