Bob-Track Limited, an indigenous Nigerian firm based in Port Harcourt has
unveiled a 120-horsepower tractor that is capable of performing multiple
functions on the farm. The Chief Executive Officer of Bob-Track, Mr. Ibifiri
Bobmanuel, said at the unveiling ceremony in Port Harcourt that the tractor
was designed for African soils and farms and its work include planting,
slashing, harvesting, excavating and bucketing.
Bob-Manuel said the tractors, which are assembled in Port Harcourt, were
already being used in some northern and western states and would soon
make entries into some West and East African countries. He said with
revolutions in agriculture Nigeria’s economic potential was no longer in oil
and gas but in agriculture, insisting that one way of improving the value of
the Nigerian currency and economy is to invest in manufacturing and
agriculture.
He said the tractor has mapping, Bluetooth, air-conditioning and other
digital devices to make farming a delight for farmers. He said where
largescale farming is not common like in the south, a group of farmers
could come together to acquire one tractor that will work equitably on their
farms. He said farmers do not have to suffer, with coarse palms and worn-
out bodies just because they wanted to engage in farming when they could
be great farmers and live good lives.
The unveiling was witnessed by a representative of the Rwandan High
Commission in Nigeria, Mr. Vianney Rubagwunya, who said food was a
necessity in Africa, which should propel African countries to devote at least
10 percent of their budgets to agriculture. Mr. Rubagwunya, who is the
Second Counsellor of the Rwandese High Commission, said having seen
that Bob-Track can replicate what it is doing in Nigeria in other parts of the
continent, Rwanda was prepared to support the spread out. “This is the
type of African integration we are trying to embrace,” he said
Mr. Maurice Ogolo from Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture said Bob-
Track’s initiative was a response to a call by Governor Sim Fubara for
people to join hands to build the economy. Ogolo said the state was
already investing in oil palm, rice and casava and would key into the
mechanisation project of Bob-Track because “everything we need now will
be achieved through mechanisation.”
The Vice-president of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN),
Chief Giando Masari, said Nigeria was blessed with the capacity but
produce manufacturers were not getting the kind of support they need.
“Nigeria can produce any type of commodity that can be exported. But the
government should support local content and producers. We have a
mentality that anything produced in Nigeria is substandard,” Masari said.
Mr. Isaac Enwonwu, who said he is a large-scale rice farmer, said large-
scale agricultural businesses in Nigeria had suffered because of lack of
investment in the sector. Such an investment, he said, would resolve a lot
of the social and security issues the country has been having.
Mr. Bobmanuel said the company will be showcasing its tractors for over a
month at the Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, to allow farmers,
governments and other investors interested in doing mechanised farming to
appreciate the benefits of the tractors.
