Tractor Services in Kenya
Tractor Services in Kenya: There are Agricultural technology companies offering Tractor Hire Services in Kenya. This is aimed at improving food and income security of farmers by building a network of Tractor owners that farmers obtain services from. Therefore, small landowners have access to affordable farm machine services to increase their productivity.
For small farmers with limited resources, labor shortages often leads to under-cultivation, poor harvests and lost income.Farm mechanization through the provision of tractor hire services in Kenya has proven to be an effective solution to these shortcomings.Despite this, small farmers throughout Kenya lack access to tractors to improve farm productivity.
With some Agricultural Technology companies having user friendly booking system,farmers can conveniently request, schedule for tractor services, from the companies, through phone calls and SMS messaging and prepay for the services through the many mobile money facilities in Kenya.
There also exists individual farmers who own tractors and provide hire services in Kenya to nearby farmers.These are paid once the service is completed.
Tractor Services in Kenya
Also with the introduction of devolved government in kenya, some County goverments under their respective minisrty of agriculture are currently providing tractor hire facilities to farmers within their area of jurisdiction. The tractors are hired at subsidized rate in a move aimed at modernizing agriculture.
In October 2009, the government announced that each of the then 210 constituencies would receive four tractors to help farmers plough their land. The tractors, under constituency management committee, are hired at subsidized rate in a move aimed at modernizing agriculture.To ensure adequate production of food, more than 50 tractors have been donated to Kenya by Italy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at cost of $1.3 million (sh.97.5 million)
Advantages of hiring over owning farm machinery
- Hiring farm machinery can save the cost of wages
- Transport to and from being the hirer’s responsibility.
- The cost of hire is cheaper compared to owning a tractor
- Replacement of parts, insurance and breakdown is the hirer’s responsibility.