By Brighton Thengoliweta Chimsinde

Mchinji, December 30, Mana: National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) has disbursed 500 bags of fertilizer worth over K54 million on loan to farmer clubs and individual farmers in Mchinji District.

Speaking at the symbolic disbursement at Mchinji NEEF Offices, NEEF Head of Operations, Kisa Mwelefu Kalolokesya, advised the beneficiaries to use the fertilizer for the intended purpose.

"As NEEF, through the loans, we want Malawians to have enough food and contribute 40 percent to the national farm yield in the 2024/2025 farming season.

“As you are witnessing today, we are distributing 500 bags of Urea fertilizer each weighing 50 kilograms and in the coming days they are to get NPK fertilizer. We are pegging each bag at K108, 000. We are expected to reach out to more than 200,000 Malawians nationwide,” Kalolokesya said.

He, therefore, said NEEF has been given the mandate to assist government to boost financial stands for local Malawians and stabilize inflation of the Malawi Kwacha by disbursing monetary business capital and farm inputs on soft-loan basis.

Kalolokesya appealed to the beneficiaries to repay back the loan for others to benefit in the next farming season. 

Group Village Headman Robati of Traditional Authority (TA) Zulu in Mchinji thanked NEEF for the loan saying it would help the district have bumper maize yields.

"I pledge to work in collaboration with NEEF so that the beneficiaries repay back their loans," said the chief.

One of the beneficiaries, Irene Ulaya Shati, who is chairperson for Alinafe Kansanja Women Cooperative of Kansanja Village, TA Zulu commended NEEF for continuing empowering them with different types of loans.

“For us it is not the first time to access loans from NEEF. We commend NEEF for considering us again to benefit from the farm inputs loan that will enable us prosper in our farming,” she said. 

According to NEEF, K150 billion has been set aside  for agricultural related loans planned to reach out to over 200,000 farmers across the country and so far it has already disbursed over K20 billion.