Expertise in Action: Our Selected Projects

ACESS TO CREDIT

>> PROJECT :

Support to Rural Banking - Establishment of an Agricultural Credit Institution

This project, funded by Tacis, aimed to stimulate the establishment of rural savings and credit cooperatives in selected oblasts of Russia. Our objective was to provide comprehensive support and guidance to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MoAF) in crafting and expanding the regulatory framework, as well as in devising organizational and economic strategies to bolster agricultural credit via credit cooperatives.

Additionally, we offered assistance and specialized training to the staff of pertinent institutions to ensure the provision of quality services to rural credit cooperatives. Lastly, we facilitated the development of a nationwide network of rural credit cooperatives, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing among its members.

The project has achieve tangible and sustainable results:

70 new credit co-operatives have been founded;
three regional co-operatives have been registered;
the credit co-operative framework law has been prepared and accepted by the Duma;
3500 members of credit co-operatives have been trained;
training centres have been designed and established;
a 30 min film on development of credit cooperation in Russia has been made and distributed,
a range of instruction guidelines, manuals and books have been elaborated.

Specific activities implemented under the project included:

Establishment of credit and saving co-operatives in pilot regions;
Support to existing co-operative financial institutions on local and oblast levels (first and second level credit and saving co-operatives);
Elaboration and set-up of a functioning auditing system for the credit co-operatives;
Assistance to the credit co-operatives in set-up of financial management procedures, including accounting and monitoring of loans;
Training of staff of the co-operatives in credit assessment and supervision, processing of loan applications and loan monitoring;
Dissemination of the information and experience via mass media, manuals, TV stations, press releases and radio.