Africa-Press – Lesotho. LESOTHO now has its first tractor assembly plant. The launch of the new plant was held on Tuesday at the Maseru West Industrial Area. There is no motor vehicle assembly in Lesotho.
The launch comes a year after Agri Solution Centre acquired a dealership license for the tractors. The Chief Executive Officer of Agri Solution Centre, Steve Ntoampe, said they are set to build the first six tractors of different sizes.
“With this facility we are seeking to create 50 to 100 jobs up from the current 20 jobs we have created,” Ntoampe said, adding that they will extend their offices to the districts.
Agri Solution Centre was established in January last year and it acquired its dealership licence in June. The major aim for the business is to sell agricultural inputs after realising that most of the agricultural challenges begin with soil preparation.
“So we decided to sell agricultural inputs,” he said. Ntoampe said they have been buying their equipment in South Africa including the tractors.
However, they soon realised that there is a high need for tractors in the country. “We have so far sold about 20 new tractors from October last year,’’ he said.
He said they realised that farmers wait too long to get services for their tractors. He said this creates room for delays and in turn leads to low production or sometimes no production at all.
Since South Africa, which is the bigger market, imports tractor parts and assembles them, they decided to emulate it. They also considered the cost of labour in South Africa as compared to Lesotho as well as the cost of importing the tractors in Lesotho which include transportation and tax.
Ntoampe said they realised that Lesotho could save more money as they create more jobs through assembling tractors locally. “We are seeking to reduce the price of the tractor by 25 percent,’’ he said.
He said the current price for a new tractor ranges from M200 000 depending on the size. Therefore they are seeking to sell them from M180 000 depending on the size.
Ntoampe said since June, they have been working on making arrangements on importing a container and creating a smooth process to place orders. He said they have been working on gathering information on insurances, and the fees on train and ship transport which are their main transport modes.
The company imports body parts from India which is the major source for most of the Sub-Saharan countries. “We have now created a route to import which is a great opportunity for Basotho,’’ he said.
Ntoampe said Basotho will not only benefit from the low prices of the tractors, but also the best services coupled with after-support care. He said they will provide a warranty of two years unlike before when South Africa would provide one year warranty.
He said they will also be providing a pure Landini brand specifically for their market. He said the Landini brand stands out with its shape and the casting of the steel.
“This improves their durability,’’ he said. Ntoampe said they are seeking to transform agriculture from subsistence to commercial farming.
Ntoampe said they are not only seeking to help people who could afford to buy tractors from them but “we are seeking to help every farmer who has challenges of farming”.
“We want to work with everyone to ensure that Lesotho can produce enough with our own experts.
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