State-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) is boosting its support to the agricultural sector with its ACPC-DBP Cooperative Agricultural Lending Program Facility (CALP) that will fund stable cooperative banks and cooperatives extending agricultural loans to small farmers and fisherfolk.

DBP president and chief executive officer Francisco F. Del Rosario, Jr. said the CALP will provide production and agricultural microfinance loans to production of crops, livestock, poultry, and fisheries. It will also provide financing of on-farm or off-farm/non-farm activities of agricultural households using the household cash flow lending approach.

Eligible borrower-retailers for this facility are cooperatives and cooperative banks with at least two years profitable operations. Small farmers and fishermen or their household members engaged in farming not more than seven hectares of land, or engaged in backyard poultry/ livestock raising, may avail of loans under this program.

Eligible end-borrowers may also be those working in agricultural lands and projects; those operating fishing vessels of not more than three tons capacity; those operating fishponds of less than five hectares or fish cages of less than 400 square meters; those working in fishing boats, fishponds or fish processing establishments; and those who are engaged in small scale fish and other aqua production, processing, and distribution.

Loan term will run for three years while the loan amount will be based on the amount established and proposed by the retailer and approved by DBP.