The “Green Farming in Horticulture” Program

The “Green Farming in Horticulture” programme is implemented within the framework of the PROGRESS Project (“Promoting Readiness for the Green Transition in the Eastern Partnership Countries”).

The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) under the International Climate Initiative (IKI).

The programme is implemented by a consortium of organisations led by GIZ, with the participation of the OECD and the State Institution “Institute for Economics and Forecasting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine” (IEP NASU).

The strategic objective of the programme is to provide horticultural producers with access to green financing, enabling investment in technologies that:

• reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
• increase resilience to climate change;
• improve the efficiency of natural resource use.

All regions of Ukraine, except temporarily occupied territories, are eligible for participation. At the same time, the Programme identifies 8 priority regions:

• Vinnytsia Region;
• Volyn Region;
• Kyiv Region;
• Kirovohrad Region;
• Odesa Region;
• Kherson Region;
• Cherkasy Region;
• Chernivtsi Region.

Who Can Participate

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises may participate, provided that they meet the established criteria regarding annual income and the number of employees:

• Micro-enterprises — annual income from core activities of up to the equivalent of EUR 2 million, with up to 10 employees.
• Small enterprises — annual income of up to the equivalent of EUR 5 million, with up to 50 employees.
• Medium-sized enterprises — annual income of up to the equivalent of EUR 50 million, with up to 250 employees.

The Programme focuses on economic activities related to the cultivation, processing, and export of apples, strawberries, raspberries, and walnuts.

The list of economic activities (KVED) must include one of the following:

• cultivation of perennial crops (Section A, Division 01.2);
• processing and preserving of fruit and vegetables (Section C, Division 10.3);
• export (Section G, Divisions 46.2, 46.3).

The programme provides credit financing combined with grant support for repaying part of the outstanding debt under a loan received by MSMEs for the implementation of investment measures.

Key funding conditions:

• total grant support — EUR 80,000 in UAH equivalent;
• the maximum loan amount is not specified;
• the grant amount is up to EUR 10,000, but not more than 20% of the outstanding loan balance;
• the loan interest rate is 5% / 7% / 9% under the programme combined with the state programme “Affordable Loans 5% / 7% / 9%”;
• the maximum loan term is up to 5 years.

Credit resources are provided by partner banks: JSC Oschadbank and JSC CREDITWEST BANK.

The programme also provides an opportunity to obtain a guarantee from the Partial Credit Guarantee Fund in Agriculture.

The Programme supports climate-oriented technologies and practices divided into three priority levels.

High-priority practices — at least one of them must be implemented by the applicant as part of the demonstration project. These include:

• agrivoltaics;
• precision and drip irrigation;
• hail and rain protection films;
• hydroponics;
• geodesic dome greenhouses;
• green ammonia production;
• water reuse;
• marketing activities aimed at promoting product exports.

Medium-priority practices may be selected in addition to high-priority practices. They include orchard nets and films, anti-hail technologies, export product certification, aeroponics, rainwater harvesting, cultivation of regionally adapted varieties, eco-friendly packaging, no-till soil treatment, autonomous energy supply, vertical farms, and carbon certificate generation.

Basic-priority practices may be selected in addition to high-priority practices or simultaneously with high- and medium-priority practices. They include mulching, biogas plants, shelterbelts, biofuels, production of biological fertilisers and plant protection products, ecological drainage systems, electric transport, perennial packaging, reduced pesticide use, cultivation of disease- and pest-resistant crops, and other export promotion measures.

The crops targeted by the above technologies and practices are apples, raspberries, strawberries, and walnuts.

• Application period — 30 calendar days from the programme start date; the current official website states the deadline as 21 August 2026.
• Round I: ranking assessment and verification by the partner bank.
• Round II: in-depth analysis and lending decision.
• Signing of the loan agreement and financial assistance agreement.
• After confirmation of the targeted use of loan funds — transfer of the grant to repay part of the loan.

To participate in the programme, an applicant must complete the following steps:

1. Check eligibility.
   Review the programme conditions and ensure that the enterprise meets the requirements regarding its size, type of activity, and credit history.
2. Register on the NUR Portal.
   After the programme launch, complete registration and identification to create a personal account on the Institution’s Portal (“Financial Support Navigator”).
3. Complete the application and business plan.
   Provide information about the farm, selected climate-oriented technologies, and financial indicators, and select an authorised bank.
4. Complete Round I — rating assessment and partner bank verification.
   The bank checks the applicant’s business reputation, NUR ranks the applications, and the Commission approves the winners.
5. Complete Round II — in-depth analysis and lending decision.
   The partner bank makes a lending decision. The loan agreement and financial assistance agreement are then signed.
6. Receive the grant.
   After confirmation of the targeted use of the loan funds, the bank transfers the grant to repay part of the loan — up to 20%, but not more than the equivalent of EUR 10,000.

The selection process consists of two rounds. The first round involves competitive scoring, while the final decision on the winners is made by the Commission.

Applications are assessed according to the following criteria:

• Criterion 1 — high-priority technologies: one practice is mandatory, with no more than two practices allowed — 8 points for each selected technology.
• Criterion 2 — medium-priority technologies: up to two practices — 3 points for each selected technology.
• Criterion 3 — basic-priority technologies: up to two practices — 1 point for each selected technology.
• Criterion 4 — location of business activity: 3 points if the main business activity or production facilities are located in a priority region; otherwise, 1 point.
• Criterion 5 — existing technologies and practices: 2 points for an existing high-priority technology, 1 point for a medium-priority technology, and 0.5 points for a basic-priority technology.
• Criterion 6 — social component:
  • MSMEs managed by women — 2 points;
  • war veterans — 1.5 points;
  • internally displaced persons (IDPs) — 1 point.

The scores under all criteria are added together.

Throughout the duration of the Programme, the bank must ensure proper identification and monitoring of MSMEs' compliance with the eligibility criteria specified in the application and the relevant measures.

Key requirements:

• in case of misuse of the loan funds, the MSME loses its right to receive financial support;
• if an MSME is found to be non-compliant with the Programme conditions, the authorised bank must notify the Institution to enable the replacement of that MSME with another applicant;
• the authorised bank must provide all necessary support to representatives of the Institution and GIZ for monitoring the proper use of funds provided under the Programme.