A prominent rural development organization has sounded the alarm over delays in agricultural financing, warning that late disbursement of loans is threatening Zambia’s food security and keeping smallholder farmers in a cycle of poverty.
In a statement released yesterday, Organization Executive Director Cyprian Phiri urged the Ministry of Agriculture and partner financial institutions to urgently reform the loan disbursement process under the Sustainable Agricultural Financing Facility (SAFF) for the upcoming 2025/2026 farming season.
Mr Phiri cited the 2024/2025 season as a cautionary example, noting that delayed funding severely affected farmers’ ability to plant on time, leading to poor yields, missed income, and widespread loan defaults.
“Agricultural financing must be timely and predictable if it is to truly support rural development and contribute meaningfully to national food security,” said Mr. Phiri .
He stressed that while farmers are ready to produce, the lack of dependable and timely support is undermining their efforts.
“Let us not allow late financial support to continue being a barrier to agricultural progress,” Mr. Phiri said.
“Farmers are ready to work; they need financing partners and policy frameworks that are equally ready and responsive.”
He further called for the establishment of monitoring and accountability mechanisms to ensure that loan facilities like SAFF are disbursed promptly and reach the intended beneficiaries without bureaucratic bottlenecks.