BY CALISTUS BOSALETSWE
KANYE – The Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) has praised the agriculture sector resilience amid effects of global climate change.
According to CEDA the resilience that the agriculture sector has so far shown was realized through the repayments of loans that surpassed the expected recollection targets last year.
CEDA, Chief Executive Officer – Thabo Thamane has alluded the astonishing repayment of loans that surpassed their target to resilience of farmers at the face of effects of climate change at the Southern Agriculture show n Kanye over weekend.
Thamane indicated that CEDA collected P560 million from agriculture sector as opposed to their expected target of P400 million last year.
Thamane implored farmers to come up with new methods of farming which will help them to accomplish a health production in the face of challenging weather conditions.
The CEDA CEO also applauded farmers who defied the effects of climate change such as lack of rain and heat waves in the past four persistent drought years.
CEDA injected P365 million in the Southern district a move that the CEO said shows commitment towards promoting agriculture in the district. He noted that out of P200 million from the P365 million was used to fund the agriculture sector.
“We want to be your partner and if you have a dream we want to make it a reality” added Thamane.
He also noted that CEDA recently signed a deal with Botswana Agriculture Marketing Board (BAMB) where they will be financing farmers who have entered into contract farming with BAMB.
Thamane said once farmers enter into contract farming with BAMB they automatically qualify for a loan that will help them achieve to meet production.
He said that the move will help farmers realize their dreams without having to struggle to get finance. Meanwhile the CEDA chief also promised that CEDA will fund the Southern Agriculture show with P5 million in the next three years.
