EBRD to support Albania's agribusiness facility
Xinhua, August 4, 2015 Adjust font size:
A project designed to improve financial access for Albania's agriculture sector, through funds provided by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), is expected to kick off in September, Albanian Minister of Agriculture Edmond Panariti announced on Monday.
Albanian Ministery of Agriculture and the EBRD Office in Tirana have signed an agreement to expand agricultural lending support.
According to Albanian Telegraphic Agency, the project is expected to last for three years.
Albania has great unexploited agribusiness potential, but fragmentation, informality and limited access to finance stand in the way of realizing the potential.
EBRD is working with the Albanian authorities on a new Albania Agribusiness Support Facility to ease access to finance for one of the most undeserved segment of the real economy.
"EBRD plans to support local banks and financial institutions by providing credit lines or by sharing the risk of a loan portfolio in the agri-business sector. This will be supported by a first loss cover provided by the Government of Albania," EBRD's Head of Office in Tirana said.
Since the start of its operations in Albania in 1992, the EBRD has invested almost 1 billion euros (1.09 U.S. dollars) in some 70 projects in various sectors of the economy. Endit