Crop and Warehouse Receipts in the Western Balkans and the South Caucasus

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The IFC project is designed to address the challenges hindering pre-season and post-harvest financing for farmers by utilizing future crops, livestock, and primary processed products as collateral. The program's activities are flexible and may adapt to the political, social, and macroeconomic conditions in the target countries. The project focuses on three main components to increase access to finance. Component 1 involves the policy and regulatory level, where the project will assist countries in finalizing and adopting legislative frameworks for Crop Warehouse Receipts (CWRs). It includes training government officials on law implementation and improving warehouse management practices. The project will also develop IT infrastructure for CWRs, including public registries, and support the creation of a Model Law on Crop Receipts to standardize legal frameworks globally. Component 2 aims to enhance agricultural lending by increasing financial intermediary interest in CWRs. It involves training stakeholders like banks and farmers on using CWRs for financing and providing advisory services to financial institutions to adopt tailored business models and credit policies. This component also promotes Climate Smart Agriculture, helping farmers reduce emissions and increase productivity. Component 3 focuses on public awareness and outreach, educating farmers and creditors on using CWRs and green finance, and adapting financial tools for climate-resilient technologies.