The government of Zimbabwe has set conditions for farmers who want to access Command Agriculture inputs. The conditions were revealed by Agriculture Minister who said the govt had partnered with Agribank, Stanbic, CBZ and Empowerbank to disburse the funds.
Said Minister Shiri:
These banks shall support A1, A2 and other large-scale farmers into soya bean and maize production. Interested farmers both new and old with a proven track record should approach their local district Agritex offices for registration, vetting and contracting for production
Collateral is not required as the verification would have been done by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement. The tenure of the loan is 270 days at an interest rate of 10,5 percent per annum and an upfront fee of 2,25 percent.
The programme will avail inputs through an electronic voucher system administered through the bank and inputs will be provided at district level through suppliers, stockists and agents as will be advised by the bank during the contracting process
Command Agriculture program is seeing its 3rd season since its inception in 2017.
More: The Herald