Unicaja and Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de Jaén have renewed their commitment to the province’s primary sector through an agreement that will allow farmers and livestock breeders to access advance payments of subsidies under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The agreement, which aims to provide greater economic stability for these professionals, has been signed by Unicaja’s regional manager for Eastern Andalusia, Juan Cayuela, and the president of Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de Jaén, José Manuel Espejo. It sets out favourable terms enabling members who process their CAP applications through the bank to receive these subsidies in advance.
In this way, beneficiaries will have access to liquidity before receiving the subsidies, enabling them to cover the usual running costs of their farms with greater ease.
Cayuela emphasised that “our commitment to the agricultural sector is firm and long-standing”. Furthermore, he stated that it is “a strategic sector for the province and we want to continue to be its financial partner”. To this end, “we work alongside organisations such as Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias and offer flexible, accessible solutions tailored to the reality of each farm”, he said.
Likewise, Unicaja’s regional manager for Eastern Andalusia stated that this type of agreement helps to “strengthen support for the sector in a context marked by challenges such as climate uncertainty and generational succession”.
He also highlighted the extensive reach of Unicaja’s branch network in the province, its specialisation in the agricultural sector, and the development of digital channels that enable the provision of a local and personalised service.
For his part, the president of Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de Jaén welcomed the agreement reached with Unicaja, highlighting that “this agreement represents an important step towards improving the liquidity of our cooperatives and their members, facilitating the advance payment of CAP subsidies at a key moment in the season”.
In this regard, Espejo emphasised that this financial tool will enable “more confident planning of agricultural activity, better management of costs and greater stability for farms”, highlighting the joint commitment of both organisations to the development and competitiveness of the agri-food sector in Jaén.
Commitment to the agricultural sector
Unicaja’s participation in the CAP campaign forms part of its strategy to support the countryside. This policy takes the form of a wide range of financial products, insurance and advisory services tailored to the sector’s needs.
This year, Unicaja has earmarked a pre-approved funding volume of €1,000 million for the agricultural and livestock sector, which includes both CAP advances and support lines for intensive crops.
For its part, Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de Jaén, which comprises almost 160 member organisations, aims to promote, represent and strengthen the agri-food cooperative movement in Jaén, fostering a professional, large-scale, value-generating and competitive cooperative business model that contributes to improving the profitability of its farmer and livestock breeder members and to the sustainable development of the sector and the rural environment.
