Garantizar S.G.R.

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The proposed program consists of providing small cattle farms and agribusinesses in a meat export chain with approximately US$3.0 million in financing with a corporate guarantee from Garantizar SGR. Under the program, some twenty small agribusinesses in cattle-raising areas of the Republic of Argentina will gain access to medium-term funding on conditions that will enable them to match their financing terms and stock grow-out periods. In addition to increasing productivity in the cattle-raising sector, in which Argentina has international competitive advantages, the program will boost economic growth in rural areas.Garantizar is a mutual guarantee association (sociedad de garantía recíproca or SGR) that provides loan guarantees to its beneficiary shareholders. The guarantees, which make it easier for the members to obtain credit, are backed by equity contributed by the guarantee association’s sponsoring shareholders. Garantizar SGR is one of Argentina's first and largest mutual guarantee associations; its equity totals more than US$45 million. Garantizar´s main shareholders, which are also sponsoring shareholders, are Banco de la Nación de Argentina and Banco de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. The private sector—member agribusinesses and manufacturers—accounts for a majority of the shareholders, with more than 56% of Garantizar SGR's shares.Garantizar has been a pioneer in the Argentine SGR sector, with successful issues of debt securities (valores representativos de deuda or VRD) on the Buenos Aires stock exchange, underwritten by the association. Garantizar has focused on loan guarantees for the agribusiness sector—chiefly soybeans, beans, rice, sunflower seeds, as well as other commodities—and has successfully placed more than fifteen issues totaling more than US$47.0 million. The issues enabled Garantizar to obtain funding from the capital market to finance small and medium-size private agribusiness supply chains during Argentina’s economic crisis, when access to credit was impossible.