Chandula to make lead presentation at Agrifin forum in Uganda

The Agriculture Finance Support Facility (Agrifin), an initiative supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and managed by the World Bank will have its first Annual Meeting and Financing Agriculture Forum 2012 from March 26 - 30 in Kampala, Uganda and is co-hosted by the World Bank's Uganda office and Centenary Bank.

Chandula Abeywickrema

The Financing Agriculture Forum is part of Agrifin's effort to promote knowledge exchange and foster partnerships among key stakeholders in agriculture finance.

During the first two days of the Forum, professionals representing a range of financial institutions and development partners will examine and discuss best practices, innovations and challenges in agriculture finance.

Deputy General Manager - Development Bank, Chandula Abeywickrema- an expert in Microfinance and Development Banking has been invited to do the lead presentation in "The new approaches in reaching small holder farmers".

The keynote presentation will be by President, NBA Enterprise Solutions to Poverty, Nancy Barry She will talk on "New World of Agriculture and the Opportunities for Finance". The opening remarks will be made by Manager - Agriculture and Rural Development Department, World Bank, Mark Cackler, Deputy Director, Financial Services for the Poor, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Carlos Cuevas, and, Deputy Governor, Bank of Uganda, Louis Kasekende

Some of the key areas that would be covered in the Forum are - Opportunities and challenges in financing producer cooperatives, new models for lending to emerging commercial farmers, equity finance for small cap agricultural business, advances in transaction, savings and payment services, working capital solutions for agricultural enterprises, investment financing for agricultural enterprises.