AGRICULTURAL CREDIT

FARMER QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGNED AND FIELD-TESTED; PLANS UNDERWAY FOR DEVELOPING TRAINED MANPOWER FOR TANANZIA RURAL DEVELOPMENT BANK"S (TRDB"S) VARIOUS REGIONS; TRDB OPERATIONS MANUAL ON SCHEDULE; PARTICIPANT TRNG PROGRAM APPEARS PERTINENT TO NEEDS OF INDIVIDUAL & THE TRDB; FINANCIAL MONITORING SYSTEMS DEVELOPING SATISFACTORILY. ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE, THE TRDB"S SMALL FARMER LOAN PROGRAM HAS NOT BEEN UTILIZED TO THE EXTENT PROJECTED BECAUSE THE NATL MAIZE PROJECT (NMP) HAS EXTENDED HEAVILY SUBSIDIZED INPUTS IN THE SAME AREAS AS THOSE GETTING TRDB CREDIT. NUMBER OF LOAN APPLICATIONS DID INCREASE,HOWEVER,DESPITE THE DIFFICULTIES EXPERIENCED IN CONVINCING FARMERS TO ACCEPT LOANS. LOAN COLLECTION WAS HAMPERED BY NON-SETTLEMENT OF COOPERATIVE UNION & COOPERATIVE SOCIETY DEBTS FOLLOWING THEIR ELIMINATION BY GOVT DEGREE. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE NO PERSONNEL RETENTION PROBLEMS AT HIGH ADMINISTRATIVE LEVELS, THE TRDB HAS BEEN LOSING SEVERAL OUTSTANDING MID-LEVEL PERSONNEL EACH YEAR TO PRIVATE INDUSTRY AS A RESULT OF TRDB"S LOW PAY AND POOR BENEFITS. TO DATE, HOWEVER, NO PROJ-TRAINED STAFF MEMBER HAS BEEN LOST. EXTRANEOUS FACTORS WHICH HAVE IMPEDED PROJ IMPLEMENTATION INCLUDE: THE LACK OF COORDINATED TRANSPORTATION/MKTG/DISTRIB SYSTEMS WHICH WOULD ALLOW FOR PRIMARY FARM INPUT (EG,SEED,FERTILIZER,AND CHEMICALS) AND,THEREFORE,GENERATE FARMER DEMAND FOR CREDIT; AND FREQUENT GOT POLICY CHANGES. IT IS RECOMMENDED: 1.VITAL INFORMATION ABOUT FARMER PERCEPTION OF THE MEANING & PURPOSE OF CREDIT SHOULD BE OBTAINED; 2.)VEHICLES SHOULD BE SUPPLIED AS SOON AS POSSIBL FOR USE BY TRDB REGIONAL STAFF; 3)EXTERNAL INFLUENCES ON THE NEED FOR CREDIT SHOULD BE MONITORED CLOSELY. THE ONLY DEVIATION THUS FAR FROM INITIAL PROJ DESIGN HAS BEEN RELATED TO THE PARTICIPANT TRAINING COMPONENT: TRNG IS NOW BEING GEARED TO UPGRADE THE SKILLS OF PARTICULAR PERSONNEL TO MEET SPECIFIC STAFFING PROBLEMS/WEAKNESSES OF THE BANK. ONE POSSIBLE FUTURE CHANGE BEING CONTEMPLATED IS THE PROVISION OF ADDITIONAL EXPATRIATE ADVISORS, INCLUDING AN AREA TRNG SPECIALIST,SENIOR AREA SUPERVISOR,AND LOAN CLASSIF & OFFICER.