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The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supporting Ukraine’s wartime food security with a €100 million investment loan package aimed at strengthening the resilience of the country’s agribusiness sector. The financing is directed towards MHP, Ukraine’s leading agricultural and food production company.
Under the arrangement, the EBRD will provide €40 million from its own account, with the remaining €60 million sourced from parallel and B-lenders. The funds will support MHP’s broader investment programme to enhance production efficiency, improve energy security, and diversify operations both in product range and geography.
One of the key initiatives includes the construction of a pet food facility in Croatia to expand regional market presence and mitigate war-related risks.
MHP’s investment plan also prioritises workforce development and social resilience. The financing will support training opportunities for young people, improved internal human resources practices—particularly for women—and targeted support for military veterans. To date, 373 veterans have been reintegrated into MHP’s 30,889-strong workforce, with an additional 2,483 currently serving.
Technical cooperation support will be provided by the Action for Equality and Gender (A4EG) Multi-Donor Fund, the Japan-EBRD Cooperation Fund, and the EBRD Digital Hub SSF Fund.
Food security remains one of the five strategic investment priorities for the EBRD in Ukraine, alongside energy security, critical infrastructure, trade, and private sector development. Since the outbreak of war, the EBRD has committed over €7 billion to support Ukraine, making it the country’s largest institutional investor.
MHP, an international food and agrotech group, is Ukraine’s largest producer of poultry and processed meat products. Despite supply chain disruptions in 2022, the company has re-established its export capacity and now ships to over 70 countries. It also plays a key role in supporting Ukraine’s rural economy, collaborating with more than 2,500 farmers and supplying over 2,000 small retail outlets.
Extract from ERBD article authored by Vanora Bennett, EBRD
