aQysta Nepal Secures First NRB-Approved Impact Loan for Nepal's Agriculture Sector
Ginger Cleaning Process - Galdha, Nepal
aQysta Nepal has signed a working capital and trade finance facility with Rabo Foundation, the impact investment arm of Rabobank. It is believed to be the first foreign debt investment by an international impact investor in Nepal's agricultural sector to be approved by Nepal Rastra Bank(NRB). We hope it makes the next loan easier for other agribusinesses in Nepal.
The money goes into our supply chain. When farmers harvest we have to pay them on time, while European buyers pay weeks or months after shipment. This facility covers that gap. We can buy more certified organic ginger, Timur pepper and beans from the 3,000+ smallholder farmers we work with across six provinces (about 60% of them women), and we can accept larger orders from European buyers.
"Scaling impact needs the right kind of finance and a partner who shares our goals. We found that in Rabo Foundation," said Pratap Thapa, CEO and co-founder of aQysta Nepal. "With their support, we can grow our exports, reach more farming communities, and show that Nepal can be a reliable source of high-quality organic produce."
Jan Postmus, Impact Finance Manager at Rabo Foundation, said aQysta has "built an impressive farmer-centred model that combines fair market access, traceability and sustainable agriculture."
You can already see the effect in Palpa. The Galdha Social Entrepreneurial Women's Cooperative, a Heifer-promoted cooperative that works with us, has exported 62 tonnes of organic dried ginger and beans to Europe and is now preparing dried ginger chips for export. More working capital means more cooperatives like Galdha can sell to buyers who pay premium prices, instead of depending on volatile local markets.
We thank Heifer Nepal and Invest for Impact Nepal for helping make this transaction happen, and Nepal Rastra Bank for its constructive engagement during the approval process.
For European buyers: if you're planning organic ginger, Timur, or Beans for the coming season, get in touch.
Read Rabo Foundation's announcement here.