Financing for small-scale farmers and food producers is the focus of this edition of Business Day Spotlight.
Host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Zaheer Dindar, CEO and co-founder of Pumpkn.io.
Pumpkn.io is a South African fintech platform that provides tailored financial solutions for businesses in the agriculture and food sectors.
In differentiating itself, the company offers a fast application process for loans with minimal red tape compared to traditional banks.
The company focuses on food processing SMEs, supporting early-stage and scaling agribusinesses.
According to Dindar, Pumpkn.io offers funding up to R5m with flexible terms ranging from 1 to 18 months.
It also offers short-term credit, up to 60 days, to help farmers or related businesses manage cash flow while waiting on invoice payments or fulfilling large contracts.
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As businesses repay their loans and grow, they can access larger funding amounts and more flexible terms.
In essence, Dindar is positioning his firm as a more agile, accessible and sector-focused alternative to traditional banks.
This is targeted at agribusinesses and food SMEs that may struggle with conventional financing due to lack of collateral, short trading history, or seasonal cash flow.
Through the discussion, the financier highlights his company’s business model, issues facing small food producers and agribusinesses, criteria for qualifying and plans for growth.
Dindar says there is an important need for educating growing businesses along the food value-chain about the tools they need to thrive.
Business Day Spotlight is a MultimediaLIVE Production.
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