By NATION REPORTER
THE Strategic Agriculture Finance Facility (SAFF) is a clincher in the empowerment of small-scale entrepreneurs in the agriculture sector who are not beneficiaries under the Farmer Support Input Programme (FISP), Finance Minister and National Planning Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane has said.
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Dr Musokotwane said while the SAFF had registered significant strides, the challenges the facility was facing was the efficient distribution and utilization of the funds.
Dr Musokotwane said the efficiency distribution and utilization of the funds required timely improvements in its system integration, oversight and farmer support so as to optmise the impact and effectiveness of the facility.
On Friday, Agriculture Minister Mutolo Phiri gave progress made on the implementation of the SAFF among other developments.
The SAFF is an imitative of government designed to offer speclialised financing solution to Small and Medium-Scale farmers, focusing on those not covered by FISP but have between one and five hectors of farmland.
And Mr Mtolo under the SAFF, about 20, 250 applicants had been registered and that loans amounting to K117, 216, 150 had so far been approved out of which K110, 780, 544 had been successfully been disbursed to 4, 528 beneficiaries.
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