TADB ready to increase funding for Ngara’s coffee farmers

Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) has said it is ready to increase its funding to the Ngara Farmers’ Co-operative Society Limited after recording a good performance in the past three seasons.
During the 2018, 2019 and 2020 season, the bank has loaned out over Sh5 billion to boost coffee farming in Ngara with production reaching 2300 tonnes from more than 500 smallholder farmers.
 A recent report from Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB) shows that earnings from coffee export was $112.8 million in the season of 2019/20 that ended July, which is lower than the $124 million which was recorded in 2018/2019.
"This season's coffee has been sold in foreign markets. By 2020/2021 we project production will reach 70,000 tonnes because there was enough rainfall,” said the director of Coffee Quality and Promotions Primus Kimario.
According to the board this year's production has dropped because it was a low season, coffee farming is normal when the season with a lot of produce in the year following production decreases due to the weather.
“We are ready to bring in professionals who will help provide seedling training to increase production and to provide two motorcycles that will be used by party leaders to reach their farmers easily,” said bank’s managing director Mr Japhet Justine.  
Briefing The Citizen, after his meeting with the leaders of the cooperative societies, the bank’s managing director Mr Japhet Justine since its inception in 1993, the cooperative suspended its operations in 2012 due to various challenges including lack of funds and extreme debt.
He said in 2018 TADB succeeded in reviving cooperatives  by developing a good operating system and providing it with a low interest loan and making it capable of collecting 2,300 tons of coffee from more than 500 smallholder farmers in Ngara district.