Africa-Press – Tanzania. The Kilimanjaro Co-operative Bank Limited (KCBL) has partnered with the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), CRDB Bank Limited and the Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB) to facilitate coffee farmers to acquire health insurance cover in the region.
Announcing the move here recently, KCBL General Manager Godfrey Ng’urah revealed that the cooperative bank, in partnership with CRDB Bank and the NHIF will issue coffee farmers with special health insurance packages to ensure that they are in good health for them to effectively engage in production.
The package will be in form of a loan payable after harvesting season, according to Mr Ng’urah.
“Our farmers need to be healthy throughout the year if we are to guarantee ourselves bumper harvests,” he explained, while addressing Agricultural Marketing Co-operative Societies (AMCOS) leaders from Hai, Rombo, Siha and Moshi districts.
According to Mr Ngu’rah, the farmers will be obliged to pay 76,800/-, to serve the loan after every harvest season.
The initiative, according to the KCBL official, will see the famers produce more crops in every season.
He further pointed out that the cooperative bank had sealed an agreement which will see coffee farmers provided with seedlings to be used during the next rainy season.
The KCBL General Manager revealed that the country’s first co-operative bank, had also partnered with the CRDB Bank Limited to enable its customers access the bank’s financial services using CRDB Bank Limited’s agents across the country.
“Our clients will also be provided with a KCBL Visa Card which will enable them access services at the KCBL’s Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), CRDB Bank Limited and all in CRDB Bank Limited’s agents countrywide,” he elaborated.
Meanwhile, the KCBL had posted a 35m/- profit in the second quarter which ended in March this year. This is equivalent to a 52 per cent increase, compared to the first quarter when the Cooperative bank registered earning of 23mn/.
He attributed the milestone to the customers’ trust on the country’s first cooperative bank.
“This has been a comfort to our customers who have in the recent past endured turbulent times when the bank had a spell of loses,” he added.
