TIRANA, July 4 /ATA/ Minister of Finance and Economy, Anila Denaj, visited on Saturday the successful meat processing business, Salami Fix, in Korça.
This business, together with similar models throughout Albania, are a source of development for the full chain of financial values, providing income for livestock farmers all across the country.
Denaj said that there is a guarantee fund in place that has been made available in 2016.
“The Albanian government decided to guarantee 20% of the loss, while the EBRD guarantees 50% of the loss for the remaining part and the partner banks another 50%, which leads to almost 60% guarantee for you and the collateral is unnecessary. The interest rate should also be lower, but apparently there are difficulties in accessing the guarantee scheme, ” Denaj said.
She said that “together with ARDA we have engaged in a discussion on how to create some financial products in order for second-level banks, but perhaps in the future even a Development Bank, to enable large businesses to access what we call value chain financing. Agro-processors and all farmers linked in a chain, in a group, can access funding, grant and guarantee schemes as a single group. “Having the guarantee of the state in financing or various grants and schemes that help this group to get a timely financing, to enable another element, the scale,” she said.
Denaj added that “other than quality, products must be produced to such an extent that they make sense for the international market.”
“We need to grow, to cluster. In relationships with the farmers, it is the business interest that prevails, but it is not the farmer that reaches the external market, it is you who become a guarantor of the foreign market, the quality of the product while the farmer brings the product based on a contractual relationship. This whole group comes and seeks funding either in second level banks, or in a Development Bank and at the same time through IPARD funds. If we identify 7 clusters, 7 groups, I am sure that 3 of them will qualify for financing and contractual relations, I am convinced that many of these groups can be energized along different lines, ” she told the entrepreneur.
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