The Central African Republic (CAR) has signed a US$98 million agreement with UK-based DSR Group to modernize its agricultural sector, a move expected to benefit some 2.6 million people across the country.
The accord, announced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on March 31, aims to enhance productivity through large-scale mechanization and infrastructure development over a 10-year period. The project will deploy 850 fully equipped tractors, alongside 5,925 units of modern farming equipment, to provide mechanization services to more than 418,000 farming households.
As part of the initiative, 335,800 hectares of arable land will be restored and developed. Infrastructure upgrades include seven cotton ginning plants, 10 wet coffee processing stations, four industrial cassava processing units with 100 additional community-level units, four milling centres, and five export-oriented cleaning facilities. Authorities said these measures will strengthen agro-processing, reduce post-harvest losses, and increase access to regional and international markets.
“This programme represents a major step toward modernizing our agricultural sector, increasing productivity, and improving livelihoods for millions of Central Africans,” the presidency said in a Facebook post announcing the agreement.
Agriculture is a key component of CAR’s economy, accounting for roughly 40 percent of gross domestic product and employing more than 70 percent of the workforce, according to the African Development Bank’s 2025 report. Yet the sector has faced persistent challenges, including underinvestment, limited modernization, and weak infrastructure, which have constrained productivity and income generation.
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To complement the mechanization plan, the government has also sought to strengthen farmer organization and entrepreneurship. In partnership with the International Trade Centre, the Ministry of Agriculture has implemented the PAPEUR Rural Project, which encourages farmers to form cooperatives and access improved agricultural services and financing.
The mechanization deal forms part of a broader national effort to modernize infrastructure and stimulate economic growth. Authorities emphasized that enhanced mechanization will not only increase agricultural output but also support job creation, food security, and the expansion of rural industries.
Separately, CAR has signed another UK-backed agreement worth $30 million to improve public transport. Under this arrangement, the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation will receive 300 ultra-modern buses, each with a capacity of 60 passengers, to upgrade urban and intercity transport services.
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Analysts said the agricultural mechanization programme, combined with complementary projects in transport and rural development, underscores CAR’s ambition to modernize its economy despite ongoing development challenges. “Mechanization is essential for moving from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture. This investment has the potential to transform rural livelihoods and integrate Central Africa more effectively into regional value chains,” said Jean-Pierre Mbemba, an agricultural economist based in Bangui.
The CAR government said implementation of the mechanization plan will be phased, prioritizing regions with the highest agricultural potential and households most in need of mechanization support. Training programmes for farmers and technical staff will also accompany the deployment of machinery to ensure proper utilization and maintenance.
The DSR Group, a UK-based agribusiness company, has extensive experience in mechanization projects across Africa and Asia. Its partnership with CAR signals growing interest from international investors in Africa’s agricultural modernization, especially in countries with high untapped potential.
With agriculture forming the backbone of CAR’s economy and employing the majority of the population, authorities said this $98 million mechanization programme represents a strategic investment to promote economic growth, job creation, and long-term food security across the country.
The US$98 million agricultural mechanization deal is significant because it speaks directly to one of the Central African Republic’s biggest structural economic problems: low farm productivity despite vast agricultural potential. Authorities say the agreement was signed between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and UK-based DSR Group, with funding spread over 10 years. The programme is expected to restore and develop 335,800 hectares of arable land, support 418,000 farming households, deploy 850 tractors and 5,925 pieces of equipment, and build agro-processing facilities across the country’s seven regions. It is projected to benefit about 2.6 million people.
Why this matters is that agriculture is not a side sector in CAR — it is the backbone of the economy. According to the African Development Bank and the World Bank, agriculture contributes a large share of GDP and employs the majority of the population, especially in rural areas. Yet the sector has long been held back by underinvestment, poor rural roads, weak market access, low use of machinery, limited access to inputs, and insecurity. The World Bank has also warned that previous pushes for mechanization in CAR often struggled because of weak institutions, high machinery costs, and the fact that most farmers are smallholders who cannot afford or maintain equipment on their own.
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This is why the new deal is being framed not just as a tractor supply arrangement, but as a broader rural transformation project. Beyond equipment, the package includes cotton ginneries, coffee wet-processing stations, cassava processing units, milling centres and export-cleaning facilities. In theory, that means the project is meant to tackle both production and value addition — helping farmers not only grow more, but also process and sell more competitively. That is especially important in a country where much of the agricultural economy remains informal and underdeveloped.
There is also an important policy backdrop: CAR has already been trying to modernize its farm sector through earlier support programmes. The International Trade Centre has been involved in rural mechanization efforts, including introducing tractors and organizing farmers into cooperatives. But those earlier interventions were relatively small-scale. This new US$98 million package suggests Bangui is trying to move from pilot projects to a nationwide industrial-style agriculture support model.
A useful angle for your reporting is that the deal comes at a time when many African governments are under pressure to improve food security, reduce import dependence, create rural jobs, and modernize agriculture. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said this year that Africa is intensifying efforts to close its agricultural mechanization gap, with countries increasingly treating mechanization as essential for productivity and resilience. So CAR’s move fits into a wider continental trend — though execution will be the real test.
