TIRANA, April 14 /ATA/ – The government of Albania and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have recently committed to a guarantee facility of up to 20 million euros to private commercial banks to provide loans to eligible firms in the agribusiness and tourism sectors.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Enio Civici told reporters on Thursday that in addition to the EU-funded IPARD Programme, the risk-sharing facility represents another mechanism to significantly improve access to finance for operators in Albania’s agribusiness and tourism sectors.
Civici urged businesses to apply and not waste this opportunity to enhance and expand their activity.
He also noted that businesses have expressed their interest to apply for the disbursed funding of 75 million euros, but banking sector has been slow in providing loans.
Up to 180 million euros has been allocated to date under the AATSF for specialised credit lines and risk-sharing facilities through local partner banks. Since its launch in 2016, more than 70 million euros in loans have been committed, benefiting more than 6,100 local agribusiness SMEs.
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