AfDB boosts farmers access to fertilisers with $2.9 million in Uganda.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group’s Board of Directors has approved a proposal to supply 400,000 smallholder farmers in Uganda with 60,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser.

The bank announced the plan to carry it out as part of the Fertiliser Financing for Sustainable Agriculture Management project in a statement posted to its website on Sunday.

African Fertiliser Financing Mechanism will give partial trade credit guarantees of $2,000,000 and a grant of $877,842,000 to the African Fertiliser and Agribusiness Partnership,” it said.

Over the course of the project’s three years, two distributors will receive a partial trade credit guarantee of $2,000,000, allowing them to sell fertiliser with a market value of up to $15,000,000.

To further facilitate the distribution of fertiliser to farmers, it will connect wholesalers with an estimated 25 hub agro-dealers and 125 retail agro-dealers.

The bank claimed that the credit facility would mitigate dangers related to fertiliser manufacturers extending credit to retailers.

It was also said that 3,4 percent of the targeted farmers will receive training as part of the programme, with women making up 40 percent of the total.

Better seeds, more well-rounded crop nutrition, and tried-and-true farming techniques were also promised.

In the meantime, Marie-Claire Kalihangabo of Uganda reported that the country used roughly 2.5 kilogrammes per hectare of fertiliser.

Kalihangabo claims the initiative will increase farmers’ access to and proper application of fertiliser.

She was ecstatic, saying it would increase agricultural output and strengthen the nation’s food security.

By boosting food output and safety, the project will contribute to the Bank’s Feed Africa Strategy.

It expands upon what has already been accomplished by the Bank’s Country Strategy Paper for Uganda 2023-2026 and the Sustain Africa Initiative.

It was granted on September 22nd, she stated.