SUBSISTENCE and business farmers in Ndungu ward, Same district, Kilimanjaro region, have called on the government and financial institutions to lend money to farmers for the purchase of agricultural inputs since many of them are unable to afford the cost.
Residents from Ndungu ward, who are
engaged in cultivation of ginger, rice, watermelon and banana said they
have been unable to afford the cost of inputs because they are
expensive.
Although there are financial
institutions that offer loans to farmers, most financial institutions
peg huge interest on loans, a situation that discourages farmers from
taking them for the purchase of agricultural inputs.
Samuel Nyiru, a farmer from Ndungu, said
the high cost of these inputs has led many farmers to follow the
farming practice they inherited from their fathers.
So, they get little yields for not
following rules and regulations for sustainable agriculture. “We ask the
government to help us either by giving us agricultural inputs or soft
loans so that we could benefit from our farm work,” Nyiru said.
Due to the inconvenience the farmer approached the manager of Same Kaya Saccos, Mr Elifuraha Mdee.
Mr Mdee said the Saccos has initiated a
lending programme of agricultural inputs for farmers that will help them
get inputs in a simple way. They will increase the volume of production
and eventually get rid of poverty.
Mdee said they had decided to provide
these inputs to farmers in order to help them economically. They will,
consequently, earn profits and meet their needs.
They will also practice modern agriculture and have better harvests
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