WINDHOEK – Conservation agriculture has achieved such stunning results this year amongst communal and small scale farmers in the seven crop producing regions of northern Namibia that Kongalend Financial Services are now offering special small agri-business financing packages to such farmers.
Kongalend Financial Services, a Namibian development-focused microfinance institution, in collaboration with NBCACLUSA, the USAID-funded institution responsible for managing the Namibia Conservation Agriculture Programme (NCAP) being rolled-out in the seven crop-producing regions of northern Namibia, are offering this service package to farmers/agri-service providers wishing to acquire a 4×4 55kW tractor with ripper suitable for carrying out such activities and being contracted as tillage service providers to the NCAP project.
There is a huge demand for CA land preparation services but currently too few tractors and rippers. The tendency is that if one farmer takes up CA in a village, next crop season her / his neighbours follow suit. The uptake spreads horisontally from village to village, thus clusters of CA farmers are created which is making it easy for service providers to operate. Like in Omuntele Constituency, for instance, the method was launched by a single farmer three years ago, and last crop season more than 300 farmers were asking for ripping furrowing land preparation.
To ensure successful roll-out of the programme, CLUSA and its implementing partners, Creative Entrepreneurs Solutions (CES) and the Namibia National Farmers Union (NNFU), are keen to contract small farmers and/or existing tractor owners as tillage service providers offering ripping services to participants in the programme. Interested applicants should already be involved in small-scale agriculture, in tune with seasonal rhythms and familiar with or willing to adapt to conservation agriculture methods and must be based in one of the seven regions (from Omusati to Zambezi) in which the NCAP is being carried out.
Interested applicants should contact either CES or the NNFU to discuss anticipated outcomes in terms of number of fields/customers to be serviced, projected income to be earned from services provided and any other technical information required prior to producing a short business plan to accompany their applications for finance.
Loan application forms are available from Kongalend’s offices in Ondangwa New Times Square, Ondjondjo Street tel: 065 24 0263, e-mail: ondangwa@konga.na Oshakati Amutenya Ndahafa Building, Main Road, tel: 065 22 0185, e-mail: oshakati@konga.na Rundu Complex 900 (next to Rundu Medical Centre), Eugene Kakukuru Road, tel: 066 25 5653, e-mail: rundu@konga.na
Windhoek corner Haddy & Viljoen Street tel: 061 24 1440, e-mail: kongalend@konga.na or can be downloaded from our website at www.kongalend.na/lima-power-loan/ or from any of the following offices
Creative Entrepreneurs Solutions Oluno, Ondangwa Industrial Park, tel: 065 241 977, cell: 081-6243020; e-mail: cesondangwa@gmail.com Namibia National Farmers Union Continental No. 1, Oshakati, tel: 065-222 749, e-mail: nnfu-oshakati@iway.na
CLUSA Namibia Windhoek Building, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda Road, Omwandi, Ondangwa, tel: 065-240377, e-mail: info@ncbaclusanamibia.org.na
The closing date for applications is July 4 for submission to the nearest Kongalend office.
By Deon Schlechter