The ICO-MAPA-Saeca line to support access to financing for the agricultural and fishing sectors will allow a total credit volume of around 500 million euros to be mobilised. Almost 8,600 farmers, ranchers and fishermen will benefit from this line, which finances the principal of the loans, up to a maximum of 15%, and the cost of the guarantees on loans requested by thirty banking entities. With 99% of the line executed , all the autonomous communities have benefited, although the impact in Aragon stands out: 3,002 beneficiaries, 27.9 million euros in aid and a subsidised loan of 215.6 million, thus reaching the highest amount.
Castilla y León follows , which, although it has more beneficiaries (3,091), has received 14.9 million in aid and a subsidized loan of 137 million. Other autonomous communities where the measure has had a high impact are Navarra (388 beneficiaries, 3.6 million in aid and 31.6 million in credit); Extremadura (498 beneficiaries, 2.3 million in aid and 19.9 million in credit); Castilla-La Mancha (386 beneficiaries, 2.2 million in aid and 17.8 million in credit) and La Rioja (365 beneficiaries, 2.0 million in aid and 19.2 million in credit).
By financial institutions, also with 99% of the line executed, the participation through Caja Rural de Aragón (1,826 beneficiaries), Ibercaja (1,402 beneficiaries), Unicaja Banco (1,266 beneficiaries) and Caja Rural de Burgos (1,095 beneficiaries), Caja Rural de Navarra (599 beneficiaries) and Cajamar (529 beneficiaries) stands out.
A TOTAL OF 8,600 BONUSES THROUGHOUT SPAIN
In total, the number of beneficiaries of the aid is 8,475, with an average subsidized credit worth 57,841 euros. The total amount of the awarded budget is 59.17 million euros and the final subsidized credit amounts to 482.70 million euros. Once 100% of the budget is assigned, the final number of beneficiaries of the MAPA-ICO-Saeca line will be around 8,600, for a total credit of approximately 500 million euros, if both public funds and private contributions are counted.
It should be noted that the autonomous communities of Aragon and La Rioja joined the financing line with the implementation of bonuses to the complementary interest rate, 5% in the case of the Aragonese region.
SUPPORT FOR THE SECTOR IN THE FACE OF LOSS OF PROFITABILITY DUE TO DROUGHT AND THE WAR IN UKRAINE
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) launched the MAPA-ICO-Saeca line in March 2022, through Royal Decree 4/2022, with the aim of supporting the agricultural and fishing sector in the face of the loss of profitability due to drought and the war in Ukraine. The application period ended on September 15, with great acceptance in the sector, since the public funds allocated for this measure, which have been increased since its approval to reach 85.1 million euros, have been almost entirely allocated among the beneficiaries.
This initiative has allowed the principal of loans from the Official Credit Institute (ICO) of up to 100,000 euros intended for owners of agricultural holdings and other operators in the agri-food and fishing sector to be subsidised. To obtain the subsidy, the requested loan had to have a guarantee from the State Agricultural Guarantee Company (Saeca).
To this end, the ministry has allocated 60 million euros to the MAPA-ICO-Saeca credit line and 25.08 million euros to finance the SAECA guarantees. The approved credits are limited to 12% of the value of the principal of the credit in agricultural holdings and other operators in the agri-food and fishing sector, and to 15% in the case of livestock farms, operators in the fishing and aquaculture sector and agri-food cooperatives.