“We leased a brand-new John Deere. Now we don't have to spend half the season repairing outdated equipment”

Ruslan Bezruchko lives in the village of Mankivka in Cherkasy Oblast. In 2019, two years before the full-scale invasion, he and his family established their own farm, Agro Tikych. The family owns 127 hectares of land cultivating sunflower, wheat, and soybeans. Before the war, Ruslan planned to buy a new tractor and even made an advance payment. However, the war broke out soon, ensuing uncertainty, and they were refunded the money. The old equipment became inadequate as the war dragged on, prompting them to upgrade this year despite the difficulties.

Unable to secure a loan from banks due to their lack of interest in small farmers and cumbersome bureaucracy, Ruslan turned to non-bank financing options offered by ESKA Capital. Backed by USAID AGRO Ukraine , ESKA Capital is implementing a leasing program titled “Online Leasing in Three Clicks in Three Days”.

Ruslan chose John Deere for its speed, reliability, and availability of spare parts. Ruslan is pleased to have leased a new tractor under warranty and to avoid the hassle of repairing outdated equipment.

“Everything was processed very quickly, and we were satisfied with the terms and conditions —25% advance payment, three-year payment scheme, and excellent customer service. The funding request was approved within a day and the formalities were completed quickly. The delivery followed immediately so we could use our new tractor already this spring!” says Ruslan.

The new tractor turned out to be extremely effective. “Before, we worked with an older MTZ tractor, and it took us 2-3 days to complete fieldwork. Now, we can finish the same amount of work in a day. It’s also more ergonomic inside,” says Ruslan. His advice to farmers who, like himself, are in a tight spot, is to knock on every door in search of opportunities and remain determined and persevering. In the future, Ruslan plans to acquire more equipment, a combine harvester, and expand acreage. The Agro Tikych team believes in Ukraine's victory and in the new development opportunities that it will bring.

Supported by USAID AGRO Ukraine , ESKA Capital aims to provide at least 100 agricultural micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with access to finance, prioritizing MSMEs led by women or members of vulnerable groups. Filling in the online application, users can execute financial, leasing, and factoring agreements online, leveraging services of electronic document management, digital signatures, and remote client identification. ESKA Capital offers funding to agricultural producers in areas that border the combat zone, with the exclusive advantage of a long leasing period. The lease terms also cover equipment manufactured up to 15 years ago, compared to the standard 1-7 years currently offered by the market.