Farmers cautioned against buying cheap agricultural machinery
Some of the machinery that were on the display at the Great exhibition of Agricultural Machinery in Bologna, Italy, last week. PHOTOS/ ANTHONY WESAKA
What you need to know:
- The EIMA International Agricultural Exhibition showcases products such as agriculture processing machinery, crop cleaning, chemical fertilising and spraying equipment, weighing and harvesting machinery, grading, grain processing and irrigation systems, among others. Ugandan State minister for Agriculture, Maj (Rtd) Fred Kyakulaga Bwino, who led the Uganda delegation at the same exhibition, said European machines are expensive, calling for ways to make the same affordable for Africans.
African farmers have been challenged not to purchase cheap agricultural machinery but rather expensive and durable ones.
According to the president of the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, Mr Alessandro Malavolti, cheap agricultural machinery ends up being expensive in the long run as it breaks down fast, often needing replacements.
“I have seen a lot of bad practice in Africa where they buy a lot of cheap agricultural machines but after two or three years, they break down and the machine is thrown away. This is wastage of money,” Mr Alessandro said last week on the sidelines of the just concluded 45th edition of EIMA International, the Great exhibition of Agricultural Machinery in Bologna, Italy.
He added: “Probably, they save 30-35 percent in the beginning on the cost of purchasing but they waste all the capital in the process. The Italian machinery, European and American may be expensive but can last for over 30 to 50 years and still have used value after that time, this is very important.”
The EIMA International Agricultural Exhibition showcases products such as agriculture processing machinery, crop cleaning, chemical fertilising and spraying equipment, weighing and harvesting machinery, grading, grain processing and irrigation systems, among others. Ugandan State minister for Agriculture, Maj (Rtd) Fred Kyakulaga Bwino, who led the Uganda delegation at the same exhibition, said European machines are expensive, calling for ways to make the same affordable for Africans.
“Because their agricultural machinery is of good quality, it’s expensive and when it comes to bidding, they lose out and those who offer cheap ones get the African market. If we are to enjoy this good quality, one of the ways is to ask them to come and assemble from Uganda. The other proposal is for us to manufacture some of the machinery components like batteries which will lower the prices at the end of production,” the minister said on the sidelines of the agricultural show.
Maj Bwino added: “Also the people in Katwe are doing wonderful work and yet a lot of these technologies use fabrication. We can bring them on board.”
