Ondjiva - Six cooperatives and 11 individual farmers have benefited from cultivators and tractors in the Province of Cunene, aiming to increase productivity along the Cafu canal.
The equipment was recently made available on the sidelines of the launch of the second phase of financing from the Agrarian Development Support Fund (FADA), linked to the allocation of mechanisation for family farming in the province.
The programme foresees the distribution of 3,000 different inputs, the implementation of which results from a financial “product” linked to credit for investment in agricultural equipment.
At the time, the chairman of the Board of Directors of FADA, Felisbela Francisco, reiterated that the institution has already disbursed 110 million kwanzas to finance seven projects linked to family farming in the province, out of the 14 credit requests it has received.
She argued that due to the province's agricultural potential, the number of people taking part is quite low, and so FADA will work with the local government to reverse this situation.
The official said that the financial product will facilitate access to mechanisation, to be repaid over a four-year period, with a one-year grace period on capital and a nine-month grace period on interest.
Felisbela Francisco stressed that the launch of the second phase of financing is part of the Government's programme to accelerate family farming and strengthen food security.
"The objective is to promote agricultural development, diversify agricultural production, increase productivity and contribute to food security", she said.
In turn, the director of the Office for Integrated Economic Development in Cunene, Felisberto Hisimungula, praised the initiative that will boost agricultural production along the Cafu canal, with the aim of combating hunger and poverty.
He acknowledged the special attention of the Government in implementing water projects, in the specific case of the Cafu canal, which is enabling family and business agricultural production to boost the national economy.
On behalf of the beneficiaries, farmer Eloy Lucas thanked them for the resources made available and promised greater work by the class, in order to make the province self-sustainable in terms of food.
The province of Cunene has 75,538 family farmers.
The credit portfolio of the Agrarian Development Support Fund (FADA) is situated at 22.383 billion kwanzas, in a total of 3,681 projects, distributed across several provinces. PEM/LHE/VC/MRA/DOJ
