UKRAINE AGRI-FOOD APEX LOAN

Loan to Ukraine to finance the upgrading of cereals, oil seeds and aquaculture, as well as fisheries value chains.

The EIB loan will primarily support SMEs along the target value chains. Key investment gaps to be addressed include agricultural field machinery; drying, storage, processing and logistics capacity; and investments in aquaculture and cold chain infrastructure in the fish sector. The loan will also be available for investment in public sector infrastructure, such as testing laboratories, research and vocational training facilities and fish stock monitoring capacity that supports the sustainable flow of produce from producer to consumer along these value chains.

The project aims to have a positive impact on the rural economy as well as on the environment and public health. The limited size of the sub-projects to be financed will ensure that any negative environmental and social impacts are limited and that these can be managed with appropriate mitigation measures. Selection of financial intermediaries will focus on their capacity and procedures to ensure alignment of the sub-projects with the Bank's environmental and social policy, which is based on the principles of EU regulations.

The Bank will require the promoter(s) to ensure that implementation of the project will be done in accordance with the Bank's Guide to Procurement.

The project is expected to be supported further by the EU through grants made available by its Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF) for blending and capacity building purposes. This operation is covered by the EU Guarantee for EIB loans outside the EU.