In 2000 a loan guarantee programme supported by the government was set up by INCAJU, the government agency responsible for promoting the cashew nut industry, with the assistance of TechnoServe. When needs expanded beyond INCAJU’s resources, a loan guarantee programme offered by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and supported by USAID was put in place. Since 2009, the objective of the government is to have the loan programme gradually taken over by local commercial banks, an endeavour that is still challenging. Funding difficulties have caused some smaller firms to go out of business.