Unicaja is facilitating access to the ICO-MAPA-SAECA scheme aimed at professionals and businesses in the agricultural, fisheries, aquaculture and agri-food sectors affected by the current international economic climate.
The scheme, approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and backed by €300 million, aims to help restore the profitability of farms and businesses affected by drought, rising production costs and uncertainty in the international market. The scheme provides a subsidy of 15 per cent of the principal amount of the loans granted, up to a maximum of 15,000 euros per beneficiary. Furthermore, it allows for loans with terms of up to 15 years and possible grace periods of up to three years, depending on the purpose of the funding. In the case of working capital, the term may be extended to up to six years.
Farm owners, agri-food cooperatives and certain economic operators and SMEs linked to the sector are eligible for this scheme, provided they meet the requirements set out in the call for applications. The maximum amounts available through ICO funds are up to €400,000 for individuals and up to €600,000 for legal entities.
The call for applications will remain open until 30 September 2028 or until the available credit has been exhausted, and can be accessed through the bank’s extensive branch network.
Santiago Casanova, Unicaja’s head of SMEs, Business and Corporate Products, has pointed out that this facility enables “farmers, livestock breeders and agri-food companies to access finance on particularly favourable terms to maintain their operations and undertake investments at a time of significant cost pressures”.
Participation in this facility forms part of Unicaja’s strategy to strengthen its capacity to support the productive sector in areas with strong regional roots and economic significance. In this context, the primary sector holds a particularly significant position due to its importance in many of the areas where the bank has a long-standing presence and close relationships with businesses, cooperatives and professionals.
Furthermore, Unicaja’s collaboration with the State Agricultural Guarantee Corporation (SAECA) reinforces this line of work, as it enables more favourable terms to be arranged for the agricultural and livestock sectors through a scheme combining public support and specialised financial management.
In this regard, the bank helped to channel special funding to the agricultural, fisheries, aquaculture and agri-food sectors in Andalusia and Extremadura, which suffered the effects of last winter’s series of storms.
*Financing is subject to the bank’s lending criteria and approval process.
