BY MFANUFIKILE KHATHWANE
MBABANE – The Government of Eswatini, through the Ministry of Agriculture, and Standard Bank Eswatini have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) worth E180 million ($9.7 million) to address the country’s agricultural mechanisation challenges over the next five years, aiming to boost food sovereignty and agricultural productivity.
The agreement was signed by Principal Secretary Sydney Simelane and Standard Bank Eswatini CEO Mvuselelo Fakudze, during a media briefing held on Thursday, December 18, 2025.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Agriculture Hon. Mandla Tshawuka highlighted the critical role of mechanisation for timely farming operations. “Farming is a timing issue – if you snooze, you lose. In our Kingdom, farmers often run helter-skelter looking for tractors during ploughing season, and some end up losing the opportunity,” he said.
The Minister emphasized that commercial-scale farming requires the right machinery. “A farmer who has planted 500 hectares of maize cannot be expected to harvest manually. A combine harvester would be needed,” he added.
The programme will provide 250 mechanisation packages to the National Maize Corporation (NMC) and private tractor owners (PTOs) over five years, delivered in tranches of 50 packages per year. Each package includes tractors and a choice of implements, including some combine harvesters. Of the annual 50 packages, 10 will go to NMC and 40 to PTOs.
Minister Mandla Tshawuka also outlined the financing structure. “EADF provides 15 percent of the funding as concessional support, beneficiaries contribute 10 percent as equity, and Standard Bank finances the remaining 75 percent. John Deere has further reduced the overall interest to 9.2 percent per annum,” he said. “This blended model significantly lowers the financial burden while ensuring sustainability.”
He urged beneficiaries to treat the mechanisation packages as a business, noting, “All beneficiaries are expected to be contracted to NMC and operate professionally, with proper guidance from the Ministry of Commerce’s MSME department.”
Since the programme’s initiation, loans totaling over E4.9 million have been approved, demonstrating strong uptake. Minister Tshawuka expressed gratitude to the US Embassy, EADF, John Deere, Standard Bank, NMC, and Swazi Trac, calling on all stakeholders to embrace the initiative.
“Together, we can mechanize agriculture, improve productivity, and boost food sovereignty for our nation,” he concluded.
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