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Indo Zambia Bank (IZB) has disbursed over K400 million in agricultural and green energy financing to support smallholder farmers and businesses recovering from the devastating effects of drought and energy challenges experienced in 2024.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Zambia Monitor at the just ended 97th Agriculture and Commercial Show, IZB Managing Director, Brajesh Singh, said the bank had developed a suite of climate-resilient financial products in response to the country’s recent climate-related shocks.
“The theme of this year’s Agriculture and Commercial Show — adapting to climate change — has come at the right time. Zambia experienced a serious drought last year that affected nearly all economic sectors,” Singh said.
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He said the bank had introduced Indo Green Asset Finance, aimed at helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and individuals transition to off-grid energy sources such as solar power.
“Through Indo Green Asset Finance, we’re supporting both SMEs and individual households to adopt alternative energy, enabling them to operate more sustainably,” he added.
On the agricultural front, Singh revealed that IZB had partnered with the government under the Sustainable Agriculture Financing Facility, extending financing to thousands of smallholder farmers.
“In 2024, we disbursed K64 million in crop financing to 1,640 farmers. This year, we expanded the facility to include irrigation and mechanization, disbursing over K100 million under that component,” he said.
Additionally, Singh disclosed that the bank had extended K264 million in crop loans to 3,225 farmers so far in 2025.
He stated this was aimed at helping farmers build resilience by equipping them with irrigation systems, boreholes, and solar power to mitigate drought and power outages.
“We want to ensure farmers are not hit again like they were last year. With irrigation systems and mechanized tools, they can maintain productivity even under harsh weather conditions,” he explained.
Addressing the livestock sector, Singh noted that dairy and beef farmers also suffered losses due to feed shortages caused by drought, prompting the bank to roll out two new financial products: Indo Dairy Product and Indo Dairy Development product.
“The Indo Dairy Production product provides working capital for feed, while the Dairy Development product helps farmers expand their herds to boost milk output,” he said.
Singh expressed optimism that these interventions would contribute to a rebound in food production, following a recorded harvest of 3.6 million metric tonnes this year.
“These initiatives position us to anticipate even better yields next year, thanks to strategic investments in irrigation and mechanization,” he said.
IZB’s financing model, Singh said, targets both smallholder farmers and agri-SMEs across the country, in line with the bank’s long-term vision of sustainable and inclusive growth.
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