Unicaja Banco and Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias Extremadura have renewed the collaboration agreement that will allow the development of actions to promote the development of the regional agri-food sector and from which more than 30,000 farmers will benefit. Under the said agreement, they will have access to a specific range of products and services offered by the bank with the aim of improving their financial conditions.
The agreement has been signed by Unicaja Banco’s Commercial Banking Regional Manager, Julio Morales, and by the Head of Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias Extremadura, Ángel Pacheco, at the bank’s premises in Palacio de Mayoralgo in Cáceres. The goal is to provide sufficient and competitive financial resources and services to enable members to undertake projects that facilitate the development of their activities and thus contribute to the development and competitiveness of the agri-food cooperative sector in the region.
Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias Extremadura integrates more than 180 cooperatives with more than 31,200 members and generates more than 3,000 direct employment, mainly in rural areas. These cooperatives had a turnover of more than 1,300 million euros in 2021, which represents 5% of Extremadura's GDP and approximately 50% of the value of the region's agricultural and livestock production.
Unicaja Banco works on the design of new financing products to adapt to the needs and opportunities that may arise in cooperatives. Thus, they will have access to loans for agricultural investments, to improve the sustainability of their businesses or to finance new crops, highlighting the specific product for woody crops.
The cooperative members will have at their disposal the advance payment of subsidies, campaign loans, advance payment of crops or agricultural insurance, among other products, always with the advice of the specialized staff of Unicaja Banco's branches in Castilla-La Mancha, with great experience to provide them with a personalized and high quality service.
Collaboration in training activities
Under this agreement, Unicaja Banco will also collaborate with Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias Extremadura in the development of activities to inform on the latest events in the sector, which allow to provide training to its members, such as conferences, courses or seminars.
During the past year, seminars were held on the latest news about the CAP and, in this line, Unicaja Banco will continue to support initiatives that promote the development of the sector and the people who invest in it.
