National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization Lauds Kwara’s Push for Agricultural Mechanization
The Executive Director of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation (NCAM), Dr. Kamal Rasheed, has praised Kwara State’s efforts to promote and sustain agricultural mechanisation.
Speaking during a visit to the state’s Ministry of Agriculture in Ilorin, Rasheed said NCAM is producing farm machines designed to meet Nigeria’s needs, including ploughs, harvesters, and combined threshers built with locally sourced materials.
He explained that the Centre’s farm village concept will serve as a hub for training, research, and demonstration, with equipment deployed directly to farms and linked to post-harvest technologies. He added that NCAM also plans to establish farm estates in Kwara, equipped with solar-powered boreholes, drip irrigation systems, and supported by the Elerinjare Dam, which is capable of irrigating 150 hectares for dry-season farming. Kwara Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Afees Alabi, said the partnership aligns with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s agricultural agenda, noting that the state conducts weekly farmer training under the Kwara Agricultural Development Project (KWADP).
Also speaking, the National Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers, Prof. Joshua Olaoye, commended Kwara’s progress and announced that Ilorin will host a machinery exhibition in November 2025 to showcase homegrown technologies in ploughing, harvesting, irrigation, and processing, as the event is expected to attract farmers nationwide.
