Parliament approves bill to support small and medium-sized farmers

A total of 295 MPs voted in favor of the relevant document at first reading on February 18, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

The bill provides for the establishment of the Fund for partial guarantee of loans in agriculture to support small and medium-sized businesses engaged in agriculture, including farmers.

The amount of the authorized capital of the Fund will be determined by the charter. The state share must be at least 51%. The Fund will provide partial guarantees on loans to small and medium-sized farmers.

The amount of guarantees may not exceed 50% of the outstanding principal amount. Support should be provided for the entire term of the loan agreement, but not more than 10 years.

The procedure for providing guarantees and the maximum amount of guarantees of the Fund to one financial institution in the current financial year is determined by the regulations approved by the Board of the organization.

According to the bill, the Fund will provide support to small and medium-sized farmers who own no more than 500 hectares of land.

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