By Omar Mohammed and Joe Bavier
By Omar Mohammed and Joe Bavier
NANYUKI, Kenya/JOHANNESBURG, Feb 25 (Reuters) – It is ride-hailing, farm model. Deere & Co. DE.N is teaming up with the “Uber of tractors” in Africa and betting on a future the place farmers summon machines with the contact of a button.
The world’s main farm gear maker is outfitting its tractors with startup Hiya Tractor’s know-how, which permits farmers to hail the machines by way of an app, screens the automobiles’ actions and transmits utilization info similar to gas ranges.
The purpose is to assist the U.S. firm enhance gross sales of it well-known inexperienced and yellow John Deere tractors, a troublesome activity in a continent with the world’s highest poverty fee and the least mechanised agricultural sector.
Deere is at the moment testing the know-how – a small black field fitted beneath dashboards – on round 400 tractors in Ghana and Kenya. It advised Reuters it plans to roll out the gadgets throughout Africa within the second half of this 12 months, providing it to all contractors who purchase its gear on the continent.
…