NEEF disburses K6 billion in irrigation loans to over 13,000 farmers across Malawi
The National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) chief executive officer Humphrey Mdyetseni says the fund has so far distributed K6 billion worth of loans in an Irrigation Microloan Scheme benefiting over 13 000 farmers nationwide.
Speaking at Mwerang’ombe Irrigation Scheme in Lilongwe where the scheme received a loan for solar irrigation equipment and farm inputs, the NEEF head said the loan is part of an ongoing exercise aimed at empowering farmers to embark on profitable winter cropping which will help address the country’s food insecurity.
The loans are targeting to cover 20 000 hectares of land with farming activities aimed at producing food and cash crops. “The only way to address the shortfall in national food production, is by encouraging farmers to go into irrigated farming.” Said Mdyestseni.
Grace Kabango, a member of the Mwerang’ombe Irrigation Scheme, expressed optimism about the program’s impact.
She said: “This is going to be helpful to us as we have accessed irrigation equipment and farm inputs loan. We will increase production and be able to pay back the loan and also use surplus to develop the scheme further while developing our lives too.”
(Reported by Jacob Nankhonya)
