The Niger State government has opened discussion with a Chinese Company--YTO Group Corporation, and Tee-Pama Nigeria Limited for the procurement of durable tractors and other farming implements to support mechanised farming and boost local food production in the state.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Musa Salihu Bawa Bosso, said the partnership would go a long way in easing access to affordable and durable farm implements that facilitate agricultural revolution.

"This would add value to the direction we already have. The state governor is working hard to ensure that he redirects the minds of our people to embrace farming as the greatest venture for surviving. We have procured a lot of equipment for mechanisation but we still need more and we believe that the manufacturers of tractors have much to offer to the state," he said.

The Head of Procurement and Administration, Mr Akintunde Akinkunmi, said the partnership was geared towards supporting farmers with easy-to-handle farming implements to enable them cultivate more hectares of land as they prepare for the wet farming season.

He said the tractors, about to be launched in the state, were durable and easy to manage with low fuel consumption, adding that they could withstand any type of treatment and soil type.

He said the tractors have been in use in many African countries including Togo, Cameroon, Tanzania, Ghana, Benin, among others.