Kathmandu, Jan. 10
Aadhyanta, a private
equity and venture capital firm, has announced Rs. 20 million investment into
DV Excellus, an agri-fintech company.
This funding will support the company's
flagship platform, Kheti, which offers collateral-free loans up to Rs. 200,000
for smallholder farmers, the company informed in a statement on Friday.
The Kheti app provides
a comprehensive suite of agricultural services and financial products,
empowering farmers to access quality inputs and transition towards more
commercially viable farming practices.
This move is a key
milestone for the Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness
(CASA) programme, which is supported by the Foreign Commonwealth Development
Office (FCDO) and implemented in Nepal by Swisscontact, read the statement.
The CASA programme has
been instrumental in attracting PEVC investments into Nepal’s agricultural
sector, helping bridge the gap between high-impact agribusinesses and private
sector investment. "This investment demonstrates the power of collaboration
in driving systemic change," said Manish Bikram Shah, CASA Country Manager
for Nepal.
Agriculture accounts
for about 24 per cent of Nepal's GDP, yet smallholder farmers often face
significant barriers in accessing financing and quality inputs.
Manoj Poudel, Managing
Director of Aadhyanta, said that supporting agri-tech innovations like Kheti is
vital to overcoming these challenges and unlocking the sector's growth
potential.
Since its launch, DV
Excellus has disbursed over Rs. 150 million in loans to more than 1,000 farmers
and currently serves over 15,000 active farmers.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 11 January 2025.
No comments:
Post a Comment