Pavlo Tkachuk, a farmer from Shyrokolanivka village in Mykolaiv region, has been involved in agriculture for over 10 years and grew up in a family that has always been closely connected to agricultural production.
In 2020, he officially registered his farm, which now cultivates approximately 150 hectares of land. Like most farmers in the region, Pavlo grows wheat, barley, sunflower, and rapeseed. This year, he decided to experiment with flax, but due to drought, the results were not as successful as hoped.
The main challenge for farmers is securing funding for sowing campaigns and harvest periods. Weather conditions and the war in southern Ukraine complicate access to resources, and banks often set excessively high barriers for lending to small farms. The pressing question arises: where can one get money without a loan? That’s why Pavlo decided to try a new financial instrument – installment payments for agribusiness from WEAGRO.
In total, 107 deals worth 45.3 million UAH were financed.
Quick and Convenient Financing through WEAGRO
The spring sowing campaign is one of the most important stages in the agricultural cycle. For Pavlo, the key task was to purchase seeds, fertilizers, and fuel on time. Due to the lengthy loan processing times and collateral requirements, obtaining quick financing for a small agricultural producer is a challenging task. That’s why Pavlo turned to WEAGRO, developed with support from the USAID AGRO Program.
“I heard about WEAGRO from a colleague and decided to try it. What I liked was the speed. At a bank, the process could take a week, but here everything was very convenient and fast. I received the necessary funds for purchasing fertilizers and seeds practically the same day after submitting the application,” he noted.
In March, he purchased nitrogen fertilizers for 240,000 UAH, and in April – necessary sowing resources from LNZ Group for 298,000 UAH. The total financing amount was 538,000 UAH. Currently, Pavlo has fully repaid the debt, which allowed him to receive a new limit of 500,000 UAH for future deals.
Benefits of Cooperation with WEAGRO
As Pavlo notes, one of the important factors in choosing WEAGRO was the convenience of the financing process. “The price was slightly higher compared to if we could pay for everything immediately out of pocket, but it’s much more advantageous than taking a bank loan. The registration process is simple, without unnecessary bureaucracy, and most importantly – we received all goods on time,” shares the farmer.
Thanks to WEAGRO, Pavlo was able to avoid delays in the sowing campaign that could have significantly impacted yields. He emphasizes that this form of financing is particularly useful for farmers operating under unstable economic conditions. Agribusiness is now seriously concerned about where to get funds during the war.
The WEAGRO service helps small and medium-sized farms, like Pavlo’s, access financing without unnecessary complications. This is extremely important for farmers in the Mykolaiv region, where weather conditions can unpredictably affect yields, and military actions complicate traditional financing routes through banks.
Pavlo plans to continue cooperation with WEAGRO in the next season. “We have confirmed new limits, and I think we will continue working with the online service. They provide exactly the level of support that small farms need, and importantly, they do it on time,” he notes.
