Lending For Africa Farming (LAFCo) Loan 2022 – Apply Now
LAFCo serves the day-to-day working capital needs of agricultural businesses and farmer cooperatives, particularly those operating in staple food crop value chains.
LAFCo’s primary purpose is to provide working capital financing for borrowers working in food crop value chains.
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About Lending For Africa Farming (LAFCo)
LAFCo is a Mauritius based investment company providing financing facilities in the form of loans to African agricultural businesses that work directly with smallholder farmers.
LAFCo seeks to generate social and economic impact for the African agriculture sector, including direct impact on SMEs and indirect impact on smallholder farmers through higher and more stable incomes, improved farm productivity, reliable markets, and increased food security.
Borrower Types
LAFCo lends to certain approved agricultural SMEs across the value chain that work directly with smallholder farmers, and which have constrained access to working capital. Given the cross-value chain focus, LAFCo borrowers could be:
- Agro-dealers or input providers
- Processors
- Traders, distributors, exporters
- Logistics providers (e.g., warehouses)
- Other agricultural businesses
Smallholder Farmer Involvement
All qualifying SME borrowers must be delivering a clear benefit to smallholder farmers, either by sourcing crops or animals from farmers or by selling productivity-enhancing inputs to them. LAFCo defines smallholder farmers as those cultivating less than 10 hectares.
Borrower Size
LAFCo is intended primarily to serve SMEs meeting the IFC definition, namely, having at least two of the three following characteristics:
Gross assets of less than US$ 15 million; Annual turnover of less than US$ 15 million; or Fewer than 300 employees. However, LAFCo is permitted to lend to larger corporate entities provided the social and environmental considerations described online are met.
Borrower Eligibility Criteria and Characteristics
LAFCo borrowers must also meet the following criteria at the time of application and throughout the term of any LAFCo facility for which they may be approved:
- Have at least two years of operating activities.
- Be able to submit at least two years of audited financial statements.
- Be a legal entity which offers sufficient protection to its creditors.
- Demonstrate the ability to responsibly service working capital loans (i.e., with standard credit assessment and underwriting criteria).
- Comply with the national laws, local regulation and/or as the case may be with the rules and license requirements applicable to their industry.
- Comply with LAFCo’s Exclusions List, which is based on International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) principles, that excludes production or trade in any product or activity deemed illegal under host country laws and regulations or international conventions and agreements.
- Comply with applicable local environmental and social performance requirements, including labor and health and safety as to each industry. Comply with LAFCo’s anti-money laundering and anti-corruption policies.
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Application Deadline
Not Specified
Method of Application
Interested and qualified applicants should kindly visit the online application website
For more information about the Loan, visit https://www.lendingforafricanfarming.com/lending/
Note: LAFCO has a zero tolerance policy for bribery or corruption. To report any concerns, you may directly e-mail LAFCo’s Integrity Officer at the following address: contact@barakfund.com
