More people are now going into tractor hiring business in Taraba State, North East Trust finding has revealed.
The development may not be unconnected with the high demand for tractor services as many people in the state returned to farming this year.
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North East Trust’s findings showed that the development has given rise in the cost of the service by service providers, while attracting more businessmen into the venture.
The number of tractors owned by individuals farmers and businessmen have increased twofold this year and the demand for tractors has kept increasing.
Our correspondent reports that areas with the high demand for tractor hiring services include Bali, Gassol, Ardo-Kola,Lau, Karim-Lamido,Ussa,Ibbi and Wukari, where more people have returned to farming.
It was gathered that more serving and retired civil servants in the state have taken up farming to augment their income.
Finding further showed that North East Commodity Association ( NECAST) alone, has deployed 70 tractors under its tractor hiring service while individuals from Borno, Niger, Yobe and Bauchi States have also brought in their tractors to cash in on the market.
North East Trust gathered that at the beginning of this year’s farming season, a tractor was hired at a rate of N65,000 per day but the price has since jumped to N100,000.
A female farmer, Hajiya Aisha Baban Ali, told North East Trust that she paid N650, 000 for a tractor she hired to work in her farm located at Tau village for 10 days.
Aisha said a few weeks later, she paid more for the same tractors because owners of the tractors had increased their fees due to high demand.
According to her, she has two tractors, which she bought about seven years ago, but could not maintain them due to high cost of spare parts.
Another farmer, James Bulus, said he paid for tractor service but could not get the tractor to work on his farm until one week later because the tractor he paid was working on another farm at the time.
According to James, despite the high cost of hiring a tractor, it was cheaper than hiring labourers.
He further said farming, despite its attendant problems has become more lucrative, attracting many people into it.
Mallam Ibrahim Lawal, who owns two tractors, told North East Trust that there was high demand for tractor services by farmers this farming season more than any other season.
He said it was the high cost of tractor spare parts that made tractors owners to increase charges.
He said a spare part which was bought at N5,000 now cost N15,000.
Ibrahim, said in some instances, the spare part may not be found in Jalingo and has to be ordered from Ibadan.
He said that many people are coming into the tractor hiring business because of the benefits they are getting although they seem not to know the implication of maintaining a tractor.
However, Sani Adamu, who recently bought two second hand tractors told North East Trust that so far he made huge money from the hiring services of his tractors.
Meanwhile, state Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. David Kassa told North East Trust that the state government has stopped tractor hiring services and instead purchased 100 small hand tractors and will sell to farmers.
