Agricultural finance — the imperative for dialogue

Recently, Chimanimani Senator Monica Mutsvangwa urged the government to enact legislation that makes government-issued offer letters bankable so that financial institutions can support new farmers.

Farmers are struggling to access loans from banks, lack proper farming education and are getting a raw deal from the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) which either does not pay on time or does not pay at all after delivery of produce, she charged.

Mutsvangwa also noted that farmers are finding it difficult to access viable markets and have to sell their produce to the GMB, which however pays too little, making it difficult for farmers to operate viable agricultural businesses.

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