Farmers Gain Tractor Access Through New Leasing Deal

Smallholder farmers in Benue, Nasarawa, Ogun and Edo states are set to gain easier access to tractors, irrigation systems and processing equipment under a new initiative designed to remove the high cost barrier to agricultural mechanisation.

The Equipment Leasing Registration Authority (ELRA) and Heifer International Nigeria have entered a two-year partnership to make modern farm machinery available through flexible leasing and lease-to-own arrangements.

The agreement, which runs from August 15, 2026, to August 14, 2028, will be implemented through Heifer Nigeria’s Naija Unlock Programme, with the broader objective of raising farm productivity, strengthening agricultural value chains and improving farmers’ incomes.

Rather than requiring farmers to make large upfront payments, the initiative will allow individuals and organised groups to use essential equipment while spreading the cost over an agreed period.

The scheme is expected to benefit smallholder farmers, cooperatives, women and young agripreneurs, with tractors, irrigation systems, processing machinery and other productive assets among the equipment covered.

ELRA Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Donald Wokoma, said the partnership could help address one of the most persistent challenges facing Nigerian agriculture—the difficulty farmers face in obtaining affordable machinery.

He said leasing provides farmers with an alternative to outright equipment purchases, enabling them to deploy modern technology while managing costs through structured payments.

The initiative comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to boost domestic food production and reduce dependence on imported agricultural commodities. Limited access to mechanisation remains a significant challenge, particularly for small-scale producers who often rely on labour-intensive farming methods.

Through the Naija Unlock Programme, Heifer International is already working to strengthen agricultural livelihoods by improving farmers’ access to finance, markets, technology, mechanisation and climate-smart practices, with key value chains including rice, tomato and poultry.

The organisation has also supported farmers through innovative financial and risk-management models, including insurance initiatives designed to protect smallholder producers from agricultural losses.

The new leasing arrangement could have an impact beyond the farm itself. Greater access to tractors could speed up land preparation and planting, while irrigation equipment could support production beyond the rainy season. Processing machinery, meanwhile, could help farmers reduce post-harvest losses and capture more value from their produce.

Women and young people are also expected to benefit as the initiative creates opportunities to establish or expand mechanised farming and agribusiness ventures.

For farmer cooperatives, the model could provide access to equipment that would otherwise remain financially out of reach for individual members.

The partnership reflects a growing shift towards asset-based agricultural financing, where farmers gain access to productive equipment without shouldering the full purchase price at the outset.

As Nigeria seeks to increase food production, create jobs and build more resilient agricultural value chains, the ELRA-Heifer initiative could provide a practical route to bringing mechanisation closer to the farmers who need it most.