Mercy Corps Jordan, ACC launch 0% interest loans for Jordanian farmers

AMMAN — Mercy Corps Jordan and the Agricultural Credit Corporation (ACC) on Wednesday signed a funding agreement to support Jordanian smallholder farmers.

The agreement, valued at around JD200,000, will enable the ACC to produce and distribute approximately 400 loans with 0 per cent interest loans to smallholder farmers, according to a Mercy Corps statement.

These loans aim to provide farmers with the opportunity to purchase the necessary irrigation equipment for water efficiency, add value to their products and produce, and introduce new agriculture technology and techniques for efficient and effective agriculture.

This initiative is part of the services that HortiFuture project is offering to farmers who have participated in a series of farm field schools and training programmes on Good Agricultural Practices targeting smallholder farmers to increase productivity and farm efficiency.

The signing ceremony was attended by Darius Radcliffe, Mercy Corps Jordan Country Director, and Mohammad Dojan, Director-General of the ACC, who signed the agreement at the ACC office in Amman. 

The loan scheme will pilot a new method of processing loans using an online application and payment system, providing a cutting-edge solution for more time efficiency, accuracy and transparency, the statement said. The prototype will be developed through further collaboration between Advance consulting, Mercy Corps and the ACC.

The HortiFuture project, led by Mercy Corps in partnership with Wageningen University & Research, and Advance Consulting and funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, aims to strengthen the broader horticulture sector across the whole value chain, and improve the income opportunities and longer-term resilience of smallholder farmers in Balqa, Irbid, Ajloun and the Jordan Valley.