How Credit Agricole supports the development of agribusiness in Ukraine

The west of Ukraine remains one of the most prolific agrarian regions . Despite climate challenges, staff shortages, and changing market conditions, local agricultural producers continue investing in farm development and introducing new technologies.

For over 15 years, Credit Agricole has been a strategic partner of the Ukrainian agribusiness, helping farmers find effective financial solutions and implement long-term development plans. Today, the bank works with over 2,650 agricultural customers nationwide, and a team of agricultural experts with specialized agronomic education help agricultural producers choose tailored financial solutions.

Oleksandr Bondar, an expert of the Agribusiness Support Department and ESG at Credit Agricole, will explore how industry expertise helps the bank understand the specifics of each customer’s business, create specialized financial instruments for small and medium-sized farms, develop partner programs, and comprehensively support agrarian producers at all stages of operations.

What are the main challenges and opportunities for small farmers today?

For small agricultural producers, recent years have brought numerous challenges. The precarious geopolitical situation has led to significant fluctuations in prices for fuel, fertilizers and plant protection products, and the shortage of qualified labor is increasingly acute. I have been working with customers in the western region for a long time and I want to emphasize that today we also account for climate change, which has recently significantly affected approaches to conducting agribusiness. For example, in Volyn, in the zone of sufficient moisture supply, two extremes are at play: water erosion and wind erosion.

If we talk about the region as a whole, droughts and temperature changes are pushing farmers to introduce new technologies, in particular, to rely on precision agriculture and more productive equipment.

At the same time, these challenges also open up new opportunities. For example, if a customer applies a sustainable approach to production, practices no-till soil cultivation, uses green manures – these measures counteract the most severe manifestations of erosion. Farmers are also increasingly seeking energy independence – installing solar power plants, switching to alternative energy sources and building biogas plants.

We regularly witness these changes during our Agroexpeditions – crop tours across Ukrainian fields, which we organize jointly with the Latifundist media. Visiting farms in the western regions and beyond, we see agricultural enterprises of various scales and directions, analyze how farmers change approaches to land cultivation, introduce elements of precision agriculture and look for solutions to adapt to new climatic conditions. It is this direct contact with producers that helps us better understand the needs of customers and offer relevant financial instruments.

Agricultural expedition 2025: Ukrainian grain elevators (Volyn region)

What trends do you see in agribusiness financing and how is Credit Agricole adapting its solutions to new customer needs?

Most often, farmers apply for financing for the sowing campaign. However, in recent years, we have seen an increase in investment requests: customers are updating their fleet of machinery, modernizing equipment, building drying complexes and drawing up development plans. To address these needs, we have over 70 partner programs that allow financing working capital needs and investment projects of agrarian producers. With the outbreak of the full-scale war, access to capital was limited, so we expanded cooperation with international financial organizations such as the EBRD and IFC, which helped support agribusiness in the most trying periods.

We have also modified our approach to assessing customers. Today, the size of the land bank is no longer a determining factor; the company's ability to manage processes and cash flows is more important. In 2025, the minimum threshold for a land bank for lending for small companies was reduced from 200 to 100 hectares. It is significant that in the western regions, customers are increasingly seeking financing to increase grain and product storage capacities – we take this request into account in our decisions.

How do bank’s partner programs help agricultural producers grow their business?

Our goal is not just to issue a loan, but to help the customer turn an investment into a result. There are many stories when, thanks to our financial solutions, farmers modernized their equipment fleet and optimized processes, which enabled them to reduce costs per hectare and increase yields. For example, we have a case when one of our customers in Volyn purchased and successfully uses the largest combine harvester currently available in Ukraine, the CR11 by New Holland with a 15-meter header.

We meet the diverse needs of our customers thanks to an extensive network of partner programs – to date, there are over 70 of them in the bank's portfolio, and they offer an opportunity to purchase equipment on favorable financing terms with the possibility of combining them with state programs, for example, "Affordable Loans 5-7-9%". The list of partner programs is constantly expanding and we offer financing not only for agricultural machinery and equipment, but also for seeds, plant protection products, fertilizers, fuels and lubricants.

We also actively support energy independence projects. Loans for the installation of solar power plants, biogas plants or the transition to alternative energy sources help farmers to not only reduce costs, but also receive additional income. As part of the Agriculture Adaptation to Climate Change (ACA) program that we launched in 2025 together with eAgronom and Agrosem LLC, farmers receive not only financial support, but also the opportunity to make a profit on the carbon certificate market. The total amount of payments can be so significant that it can even cover the cost of certain agricultural equipment.

For over 15 years, Credit Agricole has been a strategic partner to the Ukrainian agribusiness

Tell us more about your approach to working with agribusiness.

We offer comprehensive financial solutions that take into account seasonal needs, equipment and machinery upgrades, energy efficiency projects, and climate change adaptation. We conduct an ESG survey with each customer, assessing their overall approach to governance, social, and environmental processes. We, as a bank, are ready to finance the customer's needs on their path to equipment upgrades or the introduction of modern technologies.

Cooperation with international financial institutions played a key role in reducing credit risks. At the end of 2025, the total amount of our agreements with the EBRD and IFC reached EUR 440 million, a significant part of which was allocated specifically to financing agribusiness.

What opportunities for the development of small agribusiness can be identified today and what advice would you give to agricultural producers who plan to grow further?

Looking ahead, I am convinced that the success of agribusiness will be determined by two key components: energy independence and productivity. Investments in solar power plants or biogas plants reduce dependence on external energy sources and open up the opportunity to earn money by selling excess energy. At the same time, modern precision farming technologies and automated equipment help save resources and increase yields. In addition, partner programs make it possible to purchase such solutions on favorable terms, which is especially resource-saving and increases efficiency.

Just keep going. Every challenge we overcome today is an opportunity to become more effective tomorrow. Time is a resource, and investment is efficiency. Choose solid partners who understand your business, and move forward, and Credit Agricole will always be there to support these steps. After all, our mission is not just to be a leader in banking services, but to transform the market and help agricultural producers grow.