Farm machinery represents a bit of modernity that might be an incentive for farmers to stay and work in the sector and of course increase productivity. There are over 400,000 farmers in Benin and less than 5 percent of these numbers have access to state of the art farming equipment. A change in scale will require the development of strong public policy for mechanization and farm machinery.

The Beninese government adopted a first Strategic Plan for Stimulus of the Agricultural Sector in 2008. This plan has been redesigned with the Leadership of President Talons administration and the government has emphasized the importance of farm machinery. AGCO as a new entrant in the market space as aligned with the Government that aims to address the mechanization challenges in country. Nonetheless, this effort will require a robust public, private partnership with other companies playing a significant role in the implementation of this plan. The goal of the forum is to highlight the challenges and provide solutions through dialogue and partnerships.