Availability and conditions of agricultural machinery in Borno State, Nigeria

A study was carried out on the availability and conditions of agricultural machinery (tractors, tillage implements, combines, planters, sprayers and threshers) in Borno State of Nigeria. A questionnaire was administered to collect information from various agricultural organisations. The state had 16 types of machinery with a total of 1,377, as at 1998. Out of this number, 75% were functional. The private sector possessed a higher number of agricultural machinery, both total and functional. The total number of machines in the sector was 778, out of which 83% were functional. In the public sector, 599 machines were identified, out of which 64% were functional. Tractors, disc harrows and disc ploughs dominated both the private and public sectors, as tillage was the main operation being mechanised in the state. The distribution of agricultural machinery among the 27 local government areas (LGAs) in the state was not even. Machinery was concentrated in Maiduguri, Marte and Biu Local Government Councils: where the major agricultural establishments and private farms were located. There are not enough agricultural machines in the state, not even those required for tillage, and the level of mechanisation is consequently too low. The article suggests ways to improve the availability of functional machinery in Borno State so as to boost its agricultural production.