WB to evaluate Ukraine's progress in providing small farming businesses' access to grants

MOSCOW. July 23 (Interfax) - The World Bank (WB) will evaluate Ukraine's progress in making grants available to small farming businesses during a weeklong mission to promote the implementation of the Ukraine Agriculture Recovery Inclusive Support Emergency (ARISE) project, Ukrainian media reported referring to the Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry.

The mission intends to hold online meetings and surveys with the ministry's team, review the implementation of ARISE's second component aimed at supporting access of small farming businesses to financing through grants, and will continue to supervise measures to implement the project.

The mission will focus on the project's implementation processes, including procurement, financial management, monitoring and accountability, compliance with environmental requirements, and risk reduction, the ministry said.

The team of WB specialists is led by Senior Agriculture Economist Irina Schuman and Lead Financial Sector Specialist Johanna Jaeger.

As reported, ARiSE is designed to promote inclusive agricultural production and facilitate access of small farming businesses to financing through grants. The project envisions budget subsidies in the amount of UAH 4,000 per hectare of cultivated land for farmers owning or using up to 120 hectares; UAH 7,000 per head for farmers owning from three to 100 cows; and UAH 2,000 per head for farmers keeping from 5 to 500 breeding nanny goats and/or sheep.