Farm Machinery Trader KiliMOL and Karasawa Agricultural Machinery Forms Business Partnership with HAKKI Africa – Financial Support to Promote Exports –

October 21, 2021

TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) today announced that KiliMOL (Representative: Mikio Oyama; Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Note 1), which was launched through the MOL Group employee proposal system and Karasawa Agricultural Machinery Service (President: Takeyuki Karasawa; Headquarters: Tomi City, Nagano Prefecture) have formed business partnership with HAKKI Africa Inc (CEO: Reiji Kobayashi; Headquarters: Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture), which engages in the micro finance business (Note 2) in Africa, to bring more advanced agricultural machinery to African farmers. The agreement will help finance machinery purchases and creates a comprehensive system covering machinery sales as well as financial support.

KiliMOL and Karasawa Agricultural Machinery Service have presented agricultural machinery demonstrations at several locations in Kenya to explore local demand. On the other hand, financial institutions in Africa do not provide sufficient financial support for farmers, so improved access to financing is critical for those hoping to purchase machinery.

HAKKI Africa offers a micro finance service that extends small-scale loans to African business operators who have difficulty securing financing from major banks and investors because of a lack of credit information, using a unique credit scoring passport. Currently, it offers a used car finance service for taxi drivers, and will expand to agricultural machinery financing service for farmers. An estimated 60% of Africa’s working population is engaged in agriculture, so there is huge potential in providing financing to this sector.

This business partnership of the three companies will enable even farmers who have had no financing opportunities to purchase Japanese agricultural machinery, drawing upon Karasawa Agricultural Machinery Service’s procurement capabilities, MOL and KiliMOL’s transport expertise, and HAKKI Africa’s financial services. The three companies believe this will allow many more local farmers to acquire machinery and adopt more advanced agricultural methods, thus increasing productivity and helping solve food shortages and hunger problems in Africa. The availability of credit for agricultural machinery will also allow farmers to create new jobs, addressing the issues of unemployment and poverty.

(Note 1)
Please refer to the April 27, 2021, press release:
MOL to Establish “KiliMOL” a Cross-Border e-Commerce Service to deliver Used Agriculture Machinery to Africa

(Note 2)
Micro finance generally refers to a small-scale finance, which is offered with the objective of alleviating poverty.

[About KiliMOL]

Established on May 25, 2021, as an agricultural machinery sales and export company using a cross-border e-commerce website. The name is derived from kilimo, the Swahili word for “agriculture,” and “MOL.” Currently it focuses on exploring demand in Keyna, transporting agricultural machinery via MOL car carriers and then trucking it to Kenya. It aims to expand business domains not limited to the agricultural export business in Africa by strengthening MOL Group network activities in Kenya and other African countries.

• Trade name: KiliMOL
• Address: 2-1-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo
• Representative: Mikio Oyama
• Business: Agricultural machinery sales and exports using a cross-border e-commerce website
• Website: https://kilimol.net/en

[About HAKKI Africa]

Established on March 7, 2019, as a micro finance/credit scoring company for taxi drivers in Africa. In addition, it digitalizes and analyzes not only the customer credit scoring system, but also vehicle control via GPS, and developed an automatic repayment system via mobile money by adopting Safaricom API. It develops businesses in conventional markets that have lagged behind IT innovations, leveraging its strengths in digital transformation.

• Trade name: HAKKI Africa Inc
• CEO: Reiji Kobayashi
• Address: 5-45-28 Fueda, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture 248-0027
• Business: Develop cross border credit scoring passport
• Website: https://hakki-africa.com/en/

[About Karasawa Agricultural Machinery Service]

Founded by commercializing agricultural machinery repair services. While its main businesses are sales, repair, and restoration of agricultural machinery, it operates online businesses such as website production, marketing, and consulting services. In addition, it operates the “noukinavi.com” agricultural machinery distribution platform bringing together more than 300 dealers all over Japan and posting cumulative transaction volume of more than ¥1.2 billion. The company is developing a pioneering agriculture-related business under the concept “Agriculture x IT.”

• Trade name: Karasawa Agricultural Machinery Service
• President: Takeyuki Karasawa
• Address of headquarters: 846-1 Kurakake, Tomi City, Nagano Prefecture
• Business: Sales of new and used agricultural machinery, repair and restoration of agricultural machinery, operation of coin-operated rice polishing machines, internet business (web consulting, marketing support, operation of agricultural machinery distribution support website, e-commerce website, and information media)
• Website: https://www.karasawanouki.co.jp/