Arusha — EFTA Limited, a Tanzania lease financing company, is planning to deliver 200 tractors starting this month to farmers across the country.
The lease financing firm last year financed 330 units of tractors to farmers in the country at affordable loans to elevate the agri-output in Tanzania.
EFTA Managing Director, Mr Nicomed Bohay said the company is committed to unlocking the potential of the country's agricultural sector by providing agricultural mechanisation to farmers and training them on how to put them to good use.
"Our farmers will increase their agricultural production and improve food security through these loans, EFTA's mission is to boost mechanisation to Tanzania's smallholder farmers," he explained during a soft ceremony to hand over a New Holland TT 75 tractor to a farmer.
The 50m/- tractor is set to increase the smallholder farmer's agricultural produce on his 80-acre farm in Manyara.
According to Emmanuel Nkanga, a wheat and sugarcane farmer from Magugu village in Babati, the tractor will also be hired by fellow farmers where he'll be charging 50,000/- per acre.
"These are very efficient machines, this is why I chose to apply for the loan," said the elated smallholder farmer from the Manyara Region who yesterday drove away with the brand-new tractor.
He told 'Daily News' that he'll use the tractor in ploughing, tilling and planting on his farm and the loan is serviceable within 36 months and payment is done during harvest seasons.
Sakib Eltaff, Managing Director of CMC Group, a firm that manufactures tractors, said the company has been delivering between 90 and 100 tractors in East Africa, every month.
He said that the demand for agricultural tractors usually is high during the second half of every year.
"This is when the farmers go to work on their fields..., however, we are looking forward to expanding our scope across Tanzania," he added.
New Holland TT75 tractors have been ploughing through Tanzanian farms for years and are known for their reliability and efficiency and are also easy to repair and maintain.
New Holland TT75 is a practical utility tractor that's ideal for working in small properties since it's equipped with an engine that produces 74.9 horsepower and has a direct-injection fuel system and liquid cooling features.
