Farmers Review Africa Sept/Oct 2018 FRA - September - October 2018 digital 5 | Page 18

FEATURE
CASE IH FIELD DAY DEMONSTRATES
THE POWER OF MECHANIZATION FOR A
PRODUCTIVE AND EFFICIENT AGRICULTURE
A
griculture is a strategic sector
in the Tunisian economy. It
occupies approximately 16%
of the country’s workforce and
contributes around 12% of GDP. Land
fragmentation, with 75% of farms of
less than 10 ha, and a weak irrigation
infrastructure are today some of the
main challenges. Agriculture is a
priority for the government, which has
been introducing a series of measures
to attract private investment and
modernize the sector.
The Ministry of Agriculture’s five-
year plan for the development of the
agriculture and fisheries sector for
2016-2020 aims to raise the cover
ratio (ratio of exports compared to
imports) to 96%, up from 74% in the
previous five-year period. To achieve
this objective the plan foresees a
3.3% annual increase in agricultural
production.
Mechanization and efficient farming
practices are key to achieving
improvements in productivity, making
the most of available resources. Case
IH distributor Agrodis – part of the
Hortimag Horticulture group – held a
Field Day event in Boussalem, in the
Jendouba governorate, to demonstrate
how its equipment can help the region’s
farmers work their land more efficiently.
Mr. Azaiez Ghariani, General Manager
of Agrodis, said: “We are very pleased
with the interest that our Field Day
attracted: more than 100 farmers
from across the country travelled
to Boussalem to see the Case IH
equipment in action and learn how we
can work with them to improve their
productivity. The choice of the right
equipment is key to get the most out
of mechanisation, and our sales team
16 |September - October 2018
is able to provide professional advice
on the machine that best matches the
requirements of their operation – and
their budget – as well as efficient
farming practices.”
Mr. Adel Ghariani, CEO of Hortimag
Horticulture, added: “The government’s
objectives, which foresee a steady
increase in production levels, will
require an effort to modernise
Tunisia’s agriculture. This includes
mechanisation that matches the local
conditions and farming businesses, as
well as professional advice on efficient
agricultural practices: Hortimag
Horticulture and Agrodis are perfectly
placed to help farmers develop
their operations and improve their
productivity.”
The event, which was held at the
Sedan (Société d’Exploitation et de
Déveleppement Agricole Du Nord)
farm, included rolling workshops
throughout the day covering soil
preparation, seeding and application of
fertilizers. The demonstrations where
conducted with the most popular Case
IH tractors in the market: the JX40T
and JX75T high performance utility
tractors in 4-wheel drive configuration.
They showed soil treatment and
ploughing applications, while the
rugged, powerful and economic
Farmall 80 JXM and 90 JXM 4-wheel
drive models worked with a no-tillage
planter and an offset plough.
Participants to the workshops were
able to appreciate the outstanding
power, speed, lift capacity and
pulling strength of the JXT tractors.
With models ranging from 35 to
75 hp, these tractors deliver a big
performance with exceptionally low
operating costs. As demonstrated in