Plateau Youths In Agriculture (PAYIA), the umbrella body of Plateau Youths involved in agriculture has given Gov Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang two weeks ultimatum to recover the widely celebrated 400 Tractors purchased during the immediate past administration of Sen Simon Bako Lalong or face legal action
Convener of the group, Comrade T.N Timkat in a statement at the late hours of Thursday, 29th February, 2024 in Jos said “recovery of the tractors and subsequent distribution of same to farmers, particularly the Youth who are into farming will help ensure bumper harvest and fight food insecurity. Failure to thoroughly probe and recover the 400 Tractors after 14 days, we’ll be compelled to take legal action”
It will be recalled that in a nationwide telecast ceremony during an official two days working visit to the State by the then President, Muhammadu Buhari on the 9th March 2018, Lalong said 400 millions were purchased by him and President Buhari commissioned them
“Six years after the epoch ceremony of the launch of the tractors by President Buhari, we’re yet to receive any tractor” the group lamented
The group recalled that during the tractor launch, former governor Lalong said “3,400 youths across the state will be enlisted and trained for 36 months in the new tractor ownership scheme-a Public Private Partnership between the state government, Hakar Engineering Ltd and the Plateau All Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative Society”
Lalong in 2018 further added that “200 interested youths from each 17 local government areas will be trained in basic farming skills and empowered with tools and finances to embark on farming at the successful completion of the training”.
The group said six years down the line, the “audio tractors have neither been distributed nor the Youth trained and empowered financially as promised by Lalong”
www.pointblank.com.ng recalls that Lalong explained that each of the 400 tractor cost N14million with an administrative cost of N50,000.00 will be distributed to the farmers particularly Youth
Comrade Timkat said “with the current economic hardship that has seen an upsurge in the cost of living especially the prices of food commodities skyrocketing, the importance of agricultural revolution cannot be underestimated”.
He said “as energetic young people that are proudly involved in agriculture to earn a living and feed the nation, it has become necessary for us to request governor Mutfwang to probe the purchase and distribution of the 400 tractors”.
“We emphasize unequivocally that if within 14 days and nothing has been done about the tractors by Barr Mutfwang, we’ll be left with no other option than to involve our lawyers because we need these tractors to enable us cultivate more expansive hectares of land in the coming farming season” warned the young farmers.
The group feared that with the current economic hardship, their members might be forced to dump agriculture because of financial challenges and lack of farming implements. “With the current prices of things, we’re concerned that most of members may be forced to exit agriculture because of financial challenges and farming implements. We can’t afford hiring tractors at the current high hiring rates”
The group appealed to Barr Mutfwang to ensure that youths who are into agriculture are adequately supported because of the tripartite benefits of “ensuring adequate food security, gainful employment and reduction in crime”
