The push for productivity in countries across Africa is generating an increasing demand for agricultural equipment and training on mechanised farming and machinery operation. To meet this growing requirement across African markets, Case IH held a theoretical and practical training course for more than 30 participants in Kenya – a country where agriculture is a key sector for the economy.
Herve Vermersch, Case IH Trainer
Case IH has provided an in-depth training course designed to appeal to distributor sales people and operators from across the Middle East and Africa, with models specific to each country, at a site in Naivasha, Kenya. With a focus on the latest Case IH tractor lines, the courses offered a blended programme of theoretical and operational sessions. The training programme covered a wide range of Case IH tractors, from the 35-75hp JXT and the 80-88hp Farmall JXM at the smaller end, through the 110-140hp Farmall A models and right up to the 112-141hp Maxxum and 142-213hp Puma tractors at the heavier end of the scale.
“This event was the perfect opportunity for the sales people from our distributors to come and spend time using our products in the field with a variety of implements,” commented Herve Vermersch, Case IH Trainer. “This has given them a better understanding of the capabilities and suitability of our products for different applications and environments. Having the Product specialist, Nadir Ekiz, in attendance also gave the participants the chance to provide feedback on the type of specifications that they feel are most suitable for the local market conditions.”
Nadir Ekiz, Case IH Product Marketing Specialist for Middle East and Africa added: “The training offered in Kenya was a great opportunity for our distributors and their salespeople to expand their knowledge about the advantages of the Case IH tractor range with hands on experience. We will continue to deliver our best-in-class training in the region to the benefit of our distributors.“
Kenya, host country – The importance of developing mechanisation of agriculture
For the host, Kenya distributor Toyota Tsusho East Africa, demand for tractors in the 75hp (56kW) range is particularly high. There is also growing popularity for machinery with both two- and four-wheel drive in the 80-90hp (60-67kW) range.
“The agricultural sector represents 25% of Kenya’s GDP, employs 80% of the population and is therefore a key sector of the economy,” said Ian Allen, General Manager Case Agriculture at Toyota Tsusho.
“The Government´s focus on developing agriculture is extremely important. It encourages the private sector to be a major player in developing agriculture and in particular mechanisation. We at Toyota, together with Case IH, are putting all our efforts into expanding mechanisation, so that improved yields can be obtained in order to feed the increasing population.”
The company’s main goal is to continue to grow the Case IH market share and be the most highly respected agricultural machinery supplier in the region. This focus on sales and operator training is particularly important to the successful development of mechanisation in the country.
Positive Feedback
“The event was very positive, especially the operator training aspect,” said Mr Allen. “This further strengthens the confidence of our sales force to show our customers the real benefits of the correct operation of the tractors, ensuring the customer understands all of the features and benefits.”
Steven Griffiths, Agricultural Sales Representative of Agricon Equipment, who travelled from Zimbabwe for the training event concurred: “This was a great event which I have enjoyed attending. I have learnt a lot of new selling points on the tractors. What I found most interesting was there are so many other specifications on a tractor other than the horsepower, which I need to bring to our customers’ attention.”