Thanks to an EAFRD-backed loan from HAMAG BICRO, Croatian peach farmer, Matija Kovačić was able to invest in specialised farming equipment to tend to his fruits, all the while saving up to 40% on fuel costs.  This ensured that he and his family had the best year of production to date.

Watch this video series for first-hand accounts of how EAFRD financial instruments are closing the gap between financial resources and the need for greater investment to support farmers in Croatia to expand their businesses and become a key driver of generational renewal in rural communities and areas.

Small businesses and farms are the beating heart of Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia region’s economies and communities. All’orto biologico, a small farming business, built a restaurant, kitchen, and equipped a dining room all thanks to an EAFRD-back loan. The business now serves its diners organic produce from the land straight to their plates!

Set-up with EUR 93 million from the Friuli Venezia Giulia’s Rural Development Programme and regional resources, this EAFRD Loan Fund has helped hundreds of farmers in the region to improve production processes and become more competitive.

Efstathios Chaitas is a cereal producer in Grevena, Greece. Thanks to the EAFRD Guarantee Fund he was able to modernise his farm and make it more sustainable by investing in a brand-new tractor and attachments. This helped the business lower production and operational costs and reduce the CO2 emissions.

The EAFRD guarantee instrument showcased in the video aims to improve access to finance conditions for agricultural and agri-food enterprises in Greece to help beneficiaries get their investment projects off the ground.

Latteria Sociale Valtellina is a cooperative of more than 100 members producing cow’s and goat’s milk in the Lombardy region of Italy. With the support of a loan financed by an EAFRD financial instrument, the cooperative could renovate its main production hall, purchase new machines for pasteurising and bottling milk, build a new laboratory and install photovoltaic panels, making considerable savings on production costs, water, and energy.

The EAFRD Credit Fund supported agri-food companies in Lombardy, Italy, to increase value added along the entire food production chain.