MBABANE – The Ministry of Agriculture which rolls out its decentralisation drive finds itself having to reassure rural farmers of reforms, including putting aside collateral requirements, in accessing the Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) loans.
The need for surety for one to access a loan, which many rural farmers lack, has been termed as a ‘strict’ conditionality.
Principal Secretary (PS) Sydney Simelane whose ministry uses the programme to directly engage with communities and assess the impact of previous interventions said they would now allow farmers to access loans even without collateral while reviewing the fund’s conditions.
“To address these challenges, we’ve made the Agriculture Development Fund more inclusive, especially for small-scale and rural farmers,” Simelane said.
The ministry has also introduced additional sector-specific funding options to support farmers who require inputs or land.
One such model is operated through NAMBoard, where a farmer contributes 60 percent of the required input cost and NAMBoard covers the remaining 40 percent, which the farmer is not required to repay.
To further boost the fisheries sector, Simelane said the ministry is also giving farmers around 1,000 fingerlings free of charge to encourage fish farming and diversify food production in the country.
The ministry has reached 12 of 55 tinkhundla under this nationwide decentralisation programme, which educates citizens about its work.
The ministry also monitors the progress of agricultural initiatives that support Eswatini’s goal of achieving food sovereignty.
Simelane reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to visiting all tinkhundla, ensuring that no community is left behind in the push to strengthen Eswatini’s agricultural resilience.
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