RSHB to develop digital service to assist farmers in obtaining grants

Specialists from the Svoe Fermerstvo platform of the Russian Agricultural Bank will create a digital service that will help users prepare a package of documents to receive grant state support. The project is being implemented in partnership with the consulting agency OOO Sistema Consulting, a finalist of the joint accelerator of the Russian Agricultural Bank and the Skolkovo Foundation. The service will be launched in September 2024. Every year ,

the state implements a significant number of grant support programs for small and medium-sized agricultural businesses. However, it takes a lot of time for a farmer to study all the available options and prepare documents, as well as knowledge of the law. To facilitate the financial and legal tasks of business clients, the Russian Agricultural Bank, in partnership with OOO Sistema Consulting, will develop an online constructor in which each user will be able to prepare a package of documentation for a particular measure of state support.

“Hundreds of agricultural entrepreneurs start a business with grant support from the state every year. Receiving a grant by a farmer depends not only on the business potential of the applicant and the proposed project, but also on how carefully and accurately the applicant prepared the documentation for the grant. And here, a farmer cannot do without expert assistance in this matter. We want to simplify the process of collecting documents for applicants, make the process of receiving state support simpler and easier for every farmer in RUSSIA, assisting in the launch of new business projects in the agricultural sector," commented Elena Baturova, Deputy Chairperson of the Board of Rosselkhozbank.

Before starting to work with the service, the user will be asked to take a short survey, which at the initial stage will help to identify the applicant's compliance with the requirements for grant support. At the time of launch by September 2024, the service will support the most popular grants Agrostartup and Family Farm , but their number will increase over time. If the result of the survey is positive, the user will be able to use the service to step by step generate a package of documents required to apply for a grant. The client will also have access to advisory assistance on particularly complex issues in text form and via video conferencing.

The Svoe Fermerstvo marketplace for agricultural products has also implemented a "Support Measures" section. In it, farmers can familiarize themselves with the full list of available state support programs at both the federal and regional levels and select a subsidy or grant depending on their place of residence and legal status.

JSC Rosselkhozbank is the foundation of the national credit and financial system for servicing the agro-industrial complex of Russia. The bank was established in 2000 and today is the key creditor of the country's agro-industrial complex, is among the largest and most stable banks in the country in terms of assets and capital, and is also among the leaders in the reliability rating of the largest Russian banks.