Unicaja and the Sociedad Anónima Estatal de Caución Agraria (SAECA) have renewed their collaboration agreement with the aim of continuing to support the agricultural and livestock sector through more favourable financing conditions.
The renewal of the agreement introduces significant improvements to loan interest rates, enabling professionals in the sector to access financing on more competitive terms. Furthermore, the maximum amounts available for financing to farmers and livestock breeders have been increased, offering greater capacity to undertake strategic investments and tackle modernisation challenges.
This agreement reinforces both institutions’ commitment to the sustainable development of the agri-food sector, facilitating, under the best possible conditions, access to financial resources that contribute to innovation, generational renewal, digitalisation and improved competitiveness.
The agreement was signed by Unicaja’s head of SMEs, Business and Corporate Products, Santiago Casanova, and the president of SAECA, Pablo Pombo, at a ceremony also attended by the manager of SAECA, Jaime Haddad, and its deputy manager, Antonio Frías, and, on behalf of the bank, the head of SMEs and Agriculture, Francisco Vilches.
Unicaja’s head of SMEs, Business and Corporate Products highlighted “the important collaboration” with SAECA and stated that the financial institution’s objective is “to support professionals in the agricultural sector by financing their investment and modernisation projects and providing them with liquidity to tackle their farming seasons with confidence”. “Our commitment to the agricultural sector and rural areas is firm, and for this reason, we offer self-employed farmers, SMEs and associations flexible financing solutions tailored to their needs,” stated Casanova, emphasising that “we want to continue being their financial partner”.
For his part, the president of SAECA highlighted “the importance of public-private collaboration for the sector” and stated that, “with this renewal, we reaffirm our commitment to facilitating access to finance on the best terms for farmers and livestock breeders, offering solutions that adapt to their current needs and promoting projects that strengthen the agricultural fabric and guarantee its future”.
Unicaja’s support for the agricultural sector takes the form of both direct actions and collaboration with public bodies. Indeed, the bank also plans to participate in the schemes designed to facilitate access to special funding for the agricultural, fishing, aquaculture and agri-food sectors affected by the series of storms in Andalusia and Extremadura, which will be launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
About Unicaja
Unicaja places the primary sector at the heart of its strategy, offering solutions tailored to each stage and aimed at improving the sustainability and profitability of farms.
It is one of the leading banks in the Spanish financial system and a listed company on the IBEX 35. In fact, it is a leading institution in six autonomous communities, its regions of origin (Andalusia, Asturias, Cantabria, Castile-La Mancha, Castile and León, and Extremadura), although it has a significant presence throughout the country.
The bank is characterised by its universal banking model and sustainable business approach, underpinned by prudent management of its commercial strategy and socially responsible risk profile that prioritises quality, innovation and digital transformation, with the aim of improving efficiency and, consequently, the customer experience.
About SAECA
SAECA is a public company overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), whose shareholders are Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI) and the Fondo Español de Garantía Agraria (FEGA). Its objective is to facilitate access to finance, on the best possible terms, for the primary sector so that it can carry out investments in the maintenance, improvement or modernisation of its holdings, as well as meet its working capital requirements.
SAECA’s activity, as a strategic financial instrument of MAPA, accounts for 5.5% of the primary sector’s total debt and 2.4% of all farms at the national level. The company has been carrying out its activities with a significant impact on young people. Both in the ICO MAPA SAECA Youth scheme and in the guarantees under the Investment and Working Capital (I&C) scheme, guarantees for young people account for 46.83% of the total investment under the I&C scheme and 45.66% of total land purchases, a figure in line with the objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) regarding rural development policies, in terms of facilitating young people’s access to finance and, specifically, to land purchases, as a key factor in generational renewal and in retaining the rural population. As a significant trend, by 2025, young people’s share in this line is set to rise to 45%.
