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LEADIN: Somali farmers are being given new tractors, as part of a project launched by the International Bank of Somalia. It's hoped the equipment will help boost the agricultural industry, as the country tries to stabilise after two decades of civil war. STORYLINE: More than ten fully equipped and shiny new tractors are waiting to get to their new homes. They're being loaned to farmers in an effort to help boost productivity in the country. The International Bank of Somalia (IBS) is at the helm of the scheme to offer-up the tractors on a medium-term agreement. And the selection criteria isn't as hard as you'd think, says the bank's Chief Executive. As long as the farmers can prove some kind of collateral, they're eligible says Hassan Yusuf. They then consider each and every farmer's financial capability. This modern way of farming has been out of the question for the last two decades, when the last operating commercial banks collapsed along with the regime of President Siad Barre in 1991. It wasn't until 2012 that stability was restored to the country, along with a western-backed government, though almost twenty years of war has left its toll. Now the IBS says it wants to help put the country back on track and food security is at the top of their agenda. Yusuf says there's demand there. "You know what is happening in the Gulf countries and elsewhere, something called food security in the Gulf countries. Many countries like Saudi Arabia, they are financing agriculture outside of the country, so Somalia is well-known in its farming and agriculture sector and we want to market that area." He continues: "There is a demand and there is supply now available in Somalia with the increase of the stability in Somalia that shows there is huge interest from outside. Our clients from outside are asking us to finance the product they are going to get from Somalia." The initiative has surprised locals like Abdinur Ahmed, a farmer from the Lower Shabelle region. "I would never have expected to see banks offering such services again. It is a process that is worth its weight in gold, so we welcome it," he says, as he picks up his new tractor. In the past, entrepreneurial farmers would hire out their tractors to those in need - for sometimes as much as 30 US dollars an hour. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/fac74bb796e41590216b926b7d27e62a Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork