The IFAD Mid-Term Review (MTR) Mission conducted a series of strategic discussions with key financial institutions to assess their readiness and commitment to extending credit support to beneficiaries of the Smallholder Agribusiness and Resilience Project (SARP). The objective of these engagements was to evaluate each bank’s operational preparedness, credit delivery mechanisms, and willingness to scale up financing for rural enterprises and agribusinesses supported under the project.
Two focused meetings were held — one with the Enterprise Banking Unit of People’s Bank and the other with the SME and Microfinance Division of Hatton National Bank (HNB). The IFAD delegation was led by Ms. Ayurzana Puntsagdavaa, Senior Regional Technical Specialist – Markets and Value Chains, who guided discussions on financial inclusion, credit outreach, and alignment with IFAD’s rural finance principles.
The discussion with HNB was led by Mr. Rajeev Dissanayaka, Deputy General Manager – SME & Microfinance. The meeting centered on HNB’s current MSME lending portfolio, the bank’s interest in partnering with SARP to expand financial services to small farmers and rural entrepreneurs, and opportunities to integrate digital solutions to improve loan accessibility and repayment efficiency.
At the second meeting with People’s Bank, the delegation was headed by Mr. Wickrama Narayana, Deputy General Manager – Enterprise Banking. Discussions explored the bank’s capacity to support agri-value chain financing, its internal risk management procedures, and the potential to streamline loan processing for SARP beneficiaries through dedicated channels.
The SARP Project Director, Mr. Monti Ranatunge, IFAD Senior Consultant Mr. Bodhi Wanniarachchi, and SARP Rural Finance Specialist Mr. Anura Dissanayaka also participated in both discussions. They provided valuable insights on project targets, beneficiary profiles, and anticipated credit demand under various SARP value chain interventions.
These engagements were highly productive and enabled the IFAD MTR Mission to gain a clear understanding of each institution’s preparedness, institutional strengths, and potential areas for collaboration. The discussions further reinforced the commitment of both financial institutions to work closely with SARP to ensure timely and effective credit support for rural communities
