The Bank has ramped up financing for empowerment and transformative activities in the sector over the last five years, to support emerging black farmers, industrialists and financial intermediaries who on-lend to black farmers. However, it acknowledges that more must be done in order to drive shared and inclusive growth in the sector.
For Land Bank CEO, TP Nchocho, NAMPO represents a timely opportunity for all stakeholders in the agricultural sector to confront these challenges head on and commit to working together to achieve transformation and inclusivity.
“Our mandate is to make sustainable financing available to all those who are keen to participate in the agricultural sector. With every transaction, programme or initiative undertaken by Land Bank, we are concerned with driving real development impact. This involves making the agricultural sector do more – working to ensure that more land is productive and getting more people farming at scale on a sustainable basis,” says Nchocho.
To this end, the Bank recently announced that it would be providing R1b in financing for black entrepreneurs to invest in high value agricultural economic assets during the current financial year. This is in addition to undertaking R500m worth of investments in high-value agribusinesses to support black industrialists in the sector. It will also be providing emerging farmers with the financial and technical support that allows these farmers to expand their activities to a commercial scale.
Nchocho added that funding alone is not the sole catalyst for growth: “The transfer of skills from large commercial farmers to emerging farmers, including vulnerable groups such as women and youth is vitally important, so collaboration is essential.”
During NAMPO 2017, Land Bank is set to further demonstrate its commitment to the transformation of the sector through its various programmes to benefit black emerging farmers, financial intermediaries, and industrialists.
Land Bank’s action-packed programme at NAMPO 2017 includes a deep dive discussion of its financial modelling initiatives together with some of the beneficiaries of these programmes as well as participation in the ‘Nation in Conversation’ series panel discussion to mark the launch of a programme called the ‘In-Transformation Initiative’. The Bank’s insurance division, Land Bank Insurance Company, will also be launching an innovative agricultural asset insurance product to cater for emerging farmers – a first for the sector.
All NAMPO attendees are welcome to visit Land Bank’s Stand at the Microbial Solutions Hall (19 – 22) for more information on the work the Bank is doing as well as on how to access the agricultural finance they may need.
