Farmers on a guided coffee farm tour at JBK Modern Farm
Coffee farming is profitable but capital intensive, requiring huge investment in organic manure, inorganic fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides, equipment and labour. This is where financing becomes critical.
To bridge that financing gap, dfcu Bank is offering tailored solutions to small, medium and large-scale coffee farmers through government-backed facilities, instant mobile loans and asset financing.
Speaking to over 150 top coffee farmers during a farm tour at JBK Modern Farm in Kikerege, Kikyusa, Luwero District on September 5, 2026, Benjamin Owoyesigire, dfcu Bank’s Manager for Vehicle and Asset Finance, said the lender is at the centre of agricultural transformation.
“We are at the heart of driving agricultural transformation through a wide range of financing products for farmers,” Owoyesigire said.
12% Gov’t Loan Still Available
He urged farmers to tap into the Government of Uganda’s Agricultural Credit Facility (ACF), where dfcu is one of the leading participating financial institutions.
“The interest rate for the Agricultural Credit Facility is 12%. The ACF funds are available, and there is a lot of money waiting for you at dfcu,” he said.
Instant Mobile Loans
For farmers who need emergency cash, dfcu is offering instant mobile loans.
Owoyesigire said with just a click, a farmer can get money on their phone within five minutes.
“For people with personal accounts, it’s up to Shs2 million provided you’ve banked with us for six months. For those with company accounts, they can get up to Shs6m,” he said, adding that they also have the Maali loan that offers up to Shs200 million in unsecured loans to all customers provided they have banked with dfcu for the last six months
Vehicle and Asset Financing
The bank also offers unmatched vehicle and asset financing through strategic partnerships with trusted suppliers of agricultural equipment.
“We partner with trusted partners of agricultural equipment and offer affordable and flexible financing terms to customers,” Owoyesigire added.
Free Training, Market Linkages
Simon Omara, a Business Advisor at dfcu Foundation, said the Foundation is helping farmers de-risk their investments and become more bankable through a graduation model – a pre-financing approach where farmers are trained to understand their enterprise before receiving money.
“Most people say ‘I don’t have money; I would have planted coffee on my 5 acres of land.’ But what is missing is having that analysis and understanding the enterprise. That is the gap dfcu Foundation bridges,” Omara said.
He said the Foundation has so far supported over 70,000 farmers and linked over 400,000 SMEs to finance across the country, with coffee as one of its key value chains.
Omara also unveiled BeanBook, a market intelligence tool developed in partnership with Rabo Foundation of the Netherlands, which links farmers, aggregators, processors, traders and exporters to markets and helps them forecast returns.
“BeanBook helps you to monitor the market that you’re going to sell your coffee to. Even as a farmer, you need to forecast what are your outcomes, return on investment, where are the markets,” he said.
He added that the Foundation is also spearheading sustainability through tree planting, advising farmers on suitable shade trees for coffee.
“Our business advisors are on ground, we also have community-based trainers to support last-mile farmers through mentorship and coaching, and all our services across board are free of charge,” Omara said, urging farmers to open accounts with dfcu to access the offers.
Farmer Testimony
Eng. Jossy Balissa Kuta, a biomedical engineer and proprietor of JBK Modern Farm, said financing was key to building his 25-acre farm with 30,000 coffee bushes, each producing an average of 4kgs of Fair Average Quality (FAQ).
“Coffee farming is an expensive venture but worth the investment. We wouldn’t have reached this level without bank support. I still run loans; I have to buy fertilizers and other inputs on time, I have to pay workers on time. Sometimes money isn’t readily available and you have no choice but to run to a trusted bank that understands you for a loan,” Kuta said.
He projects to harvest about 800 bags of Kiboko (dry cherries) this coming season.
The farm tour was organized by JBK Modern Farm in partnership with Business Focus.
Next: We will soon publish a detailed guide on practical tips to increase coffee yields, as shared by experts at JBK Modern Farm.
About the long term loan, how can I acquire it?
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Commendable job, thank you. Kindly share the guide with k772446478@gmail.com