Fabricators Enjoy Farmers’ Patronage in Yobe
Local fabricators of agricultural machines in Yobe said there was an increase in demand for the local machines by farmers at the peak of the harvest season.
The fabricators gave this expression in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu on Wednesday.
Alhaji Ngojin Mai-Welder, a local fabricator, told NAN that, there was high demand for threshing machines by farmers in the market.
“We have developed some machines locally to separate the grains from the straw and husks,’ Mai-Welder said.
Also, Malam Ali Usman, said he fabricated maize and groundnut threshing machines.
“The machine can thresh a bag of maize between 15 minutes and 25 minutes, using small generating set.
“It has become a huge business because farmers buy them for their personal use and rent it out to other farmers.
“Farmers in most of the villages, no longer use manual labour to thresh the crops, they hire the machines from large-scale farmers to work on their farms,’’ Ali said.
Another fabricator, Haruna Usman, told NAN that he was partnering with other fabricators in Potiskum to develop tillers, planters and harvesters before the next cropping season.
“Agriculture is gradually taking a new dimension in Nigeria.
“We will use local technology and materials to develop these machines before next year to boost production,’’ Usman said.
Meanwhile, most farmers have expressed satisfaction using the machines to thresh the crops.
Musa Bakoro, a farmer in Damaturu, said that he used the machine to thresh his groundnuts, which was done speedily and preserving both the nuts and the leaves for animal feeds. (NAN)
