On 22 January, an important and inspiring outreach event took place, which was an important step towards the growth and prosperity of agribusiness in Odesa region and Ukraine as a whole.

The event focused on the opportunities offered by the Partial Credit Guarantee Fund in Agriculture, a tool that can be a key to the development and modernisation of farms.

This is a unique opportunity for farmers seeking access to finance on favourable terms.

The Fund not only provides guarantees for loans, but also gives farmers the opportunity to invest in modernising equipment, purchasing the latest technologies, expanding production and improving infrastructure.

📊Main topics of the event

- How to use loan programmes for agribusiness development?

✔️Фонд partial loan guarantee programme enables small and medium-sized agricultural producers to obtain loans for farm development on favourable terms. Separate support programmes allow farmers to improve their technical base, expand their land and modernise their production.

- What does the Partial Loan Guarantee Fund offer to farmers?

✔️Фонд allows you to reduce financial risks by guaranteeing part of the loan. This enables the farmer to access financing with minimal obstacles and without collateral.

- Financial support for farmers: what do you need to know to get a loan?

✔️Своєчасно submitted application and fulfilment of the loan conditions are the key points that will ensure the success of your application for financial support.

- Opportunities for farm modernisation and expansion through loans and investments.

✔️Фонд opens the door for farmers to introduce the latest technologies and equipment that will increase the efficiency and profitability of their operations.

- What funding can I get from the Jobcentre Plus?

✔️Центр employment offers support in the form of training, retraining and employment programmes for farmers, which creates additional opportunities for development.

Alla Stoyanova, Head of the Agrarian Odesa Region deputy group of the Odesa Regional Council and Chairman of the Board of the NGO Agrarians of Odesa Region, shared extremely important initiatives to support farmers in Odesa region.

"The Fund's instruments are working towards an interesting opportunity, namely, the purchase of land plots for a period of 10 years. For our area, i.e. for Odesa region, this is a very interesting mechanism, which I am sure will be used by many people.

By the way, the Fund has already issued 13 loan guarantees, 4 of which were issued in our region, meaning that Odesa region is a leader in the use of the Fund's capabilities.

It is also interesting to note that the Fund supports the production of business plans for certain projects free of charge for certain categories of farmers and processors. Business plan development is expensive, but in this case, these costs are covered by the international partner, so they are free for the end user.

Another interesting point is that this is a new mechanism for us, they call it the Environmental Risk Assessment. Answer. This story is part of the synchronisation of our legislation with European standards. As we are moving towards Europe and are candidates for membership, environmental standards are gradually coming into effect. In simple terms, every legal entity that will use almost any programme must undergo an "environmental assessment". I'll talk about this whole story, which is currently ordered from designers for fabulous money, for example, EIA (environmental impact assessment), later in another post.

I am just informing you that everyone who has irrigation of more than 20 hectares, who has fuel storage facilities, who keeps a certain amount of poultry for business, these categories of enterprises will definitely face this issue when receiving even any loan money, even under the 5-7-9 programme. Let's hope that we will also overcome this "beast"," said Ms Stoyanova with deep hope. Then she continued that "We believe in the strength of our farmers, so we are constantly working on the implementation of national development programmes that will help support and stimulate the growth of agriculture in Odesa region," concluded Alla Stoyanova.

Volodymyr Dovgal, Director of the Izmail Branch of the Odesa Regional Employment Centre, spoke about the opportunities provided by local regional structures for agribusiness development. His commentary highlighted the importance of cooperation between agricultural producers and government agencies to create new jobs, improve employee skills and develop the local economy. Volodymyr emphasised that active engagement with employment centres opens doors to new opportunities and reduces barriers to the development of rural enterprises.

Volodymyr Geraymovych, a leading expert at AgriAnalytics, presented the key opportunities provided by the Partial Loan Guarantee Fund. He shared strategies on how to use these opportunities to benefit your farm, and explained how to apply for loans and what conditions need to be met to receive financial support.

Today's event has become an important milestone on the way to the development of agribusiness in Ukraine. We see how the joint efforts of the government, business and the public can create conditions for the prosperity of the agricultural sector. The Partial Loan Guarantee Fund is not just financial support, but a real opportunity for farmers to make their business more efficient and competitive. All those who took part in this event now know that the growth and prosperity of agribusiness requires not only aspirations but also the right support tools. So let's move forward to new victories and new opportunities for development!

ACTING TOGETHER FOR VICTORY!

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