Over K340,000 available for Maprik students

MORE than K340,000 is available in the National Development Bank (NDB) for Maprik students who want loans set by Maprik MP John Simon.
The first lot of students will be receiving their loans by next week as accorded by NDB credit scheme manager Daniel Wohwiehembe.
This followed the signing of an agreement yesterday at Maprik Secondary School which was officiating the agriculture-based student loan scheme in which K1 million was available.
This scheme is suitable for students from tertiary, secondary and high school institutes and is agriculture orientated; students are required to have a hectare of cocoa or vanilla, or coffee to be able to access the loan.
Students are able to access up to K5,000 for school fees; the repayment for which can take up to five years.
Simon, who is the Agriculture and Livestock Minister, said the signing would set the pace for students in the district – noting that the strategy will encourage students to not only have access to school fees but toil and invest in agriculture.
For instance, he said Maprik had more than 12 million cocoa trees that could be turned into a large-scale revenue-generating platform if more effort was placed into managing cocoa.
Simon said the loan scheme was a strategy he had initiated prior to becoming the minister, adding that Maprik was rich in commodities, which, when managed well, could boost production and bring in large-scale revenue.