With a loan provided by the National Economic Empowerment Fund Limited, the Ntchisi East Coffee Cooperative is aiming to the next level in Chawala village under Traditional Authority Vuso Jere in the East constituency of the Ntchisi District. 325 farmers make up the group, including 124 women and 201 men. They obtained a K 29,494,000 cooperative loan from NEEF.
According to a statement made by their manager, Mr. Wanangwa Gondwe, they learned about NEEF from several radio stations and were inspired to borrow a loan after hearing about the success of NEEF clients using the loan. Then, in the evening, he went to the NEEF headquarters in Ntchisi to ask for advice and obtain all the information. Fortunately for them, all of the necessary procedures and paperwork were submitted on time.
Mr. Gondwe went on to emphasize that farmers were able to prepare their crops and buy fertilizer on time and in larger quantities, which is why his cooperative anticipates high yields. This was accomplished by increasing the number of workers on their farms.
“The loan will also aid in other organizations’ realization of their goals. For instance, AGCOM gave them a machine that needs a high yield and couldn’t function without the loan.” Gondwe said.
In his concluding remarks, Gondwe said that NEEF loans are increasing the number of jobs in the community. This has been seen with other NEEF clients who have borrowed money from NEEF, and their cooperative has plans to hire thirty permanent employees shortly, each of whom will receive K50,000 per month.
According to Fred Job, who agreed with the statement, they will harvest more this year because they have made significant investments in their fields with NEEF financing. In his testimony, he claimed that he had purchased fertilizer for his farm, that he had hired more workers, and that he anticipated a greater harvest this year than in any of the prior ones.
“Due to the NEEF loans, this year’s harvest will be at a higher level because we have increased the number of workers in our farms, purchased fertilizer in a timely manner, and even purchased our seeds from reputable vendors,” Job said.
Mr. Job ends by thanking NEEF for providing small loans to deserving individuals, particularly women, and claiming that these loans have benefited many families as women are now able to support their families on their own.