NEW DELHI / CHENNAI, 22 June 2024: Samunnati, a leading agri value chain enabler, has raised its single largest debt tranche of Rs 133 crores ($16 million) during the first quarter of FY 24-25 from Blue Earth Capital, a Swiss headquartered global impact investment firm.
This is Blue Earth Capital's first debt investment, providing a boost to Samunnati's initiatives aimed at making significant changes in the lives of smallholder farmers across India.
In the current financial year FY 2024-25 Samunnati has already secured $5 million (Rs 41 Cr) in debt funding through an External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) from Enabling Qapital, a renowned global impact investment advisory firm. This is in continuation to an impressive FY 23-24, where Samunnati had secured a total of $155 million (Rs 1291 Cr) in debt and equity funding.
Mr. Anil Kumar SG, Founder and CEO of Samunnati, expressed his gratitude, stating, "We're grateful for the support from Blue Earth Capital, for their significant credit financing to Samunnati. This boost will strengthen our efforts to improve the lives of smallholders through climate and sustainability projects. Their partnership empowers us to amplify our impact, driving positive change in rural communities."
Amy Wang, Head of Private Credit of Blue Earth Capital, stated: "We are delighted to start our partnership with Samunnati to help them expand their loan book and enhance the adoption of climate-Smart agricultural practices across its portfolio. We are very impressed with Samunnati's unique high-impact social outcomes while demonstrating strong resilience throughout different market conditions. We are excited about supporting the first mover in agriculture value chain financing in India, and being a part of Samunnati's mission to strengthen the agriculture ecosystem which will ultimately benefits millions of smallholder farmers in the country."
The partnership with Blue Earth Capital will enhance Samunnati's initiatives in promoting access to climate adaptation, resilience, and mitigation practices. This includes collaborations with lenders, international agencies, and government bodies on green bonds, thematic lending models, and credit guarantee coverage programs for a climate-smart compliant portfolio. Currently, 22% of Samunnati's active portfolio is dedicated to climate-smart financing.
