OREANDA-NEWS.May 05, 2012. Leading agro-enterprises are an important link between agricultural production and the market as well as a major force for scientific and technological innovation in agriculture. By the end of February 2012, Agricultural Bank of China Limited (ABC) had supported 429 national leading enterprises engaged in industrial agriculture, including 24 agricultural high-tech enterprises with total credit facility of RMB3,623 million and outstanding loans of RMB2,916 million. These enterprises spread over 13 provinces and municipalities such as Shandong, Jiangsu, Henan, Inner Mongolia and Shanghai, reported the press-centre of ABC. 

ABC Inner Mongolia Branch started with supporting leading modern agricultural and animal husbandry enterprises in its efforts to serve Sannong (agriculture, rural areas and farmers) and accelerate the development of modern agriculture and animal husbandry. It has strongly supported advantageous leading high-tech enterprises such as Yili, Mengniu, Saifeiya, Jinhe and Yuwang. Moreover, it has also given priority to the acceptance, review and approval of loan applications for agricultural technological innovation and industrial transformation and upgrading within specific time periods. It has launched some innovative Sannong financial products such as dairy base loans, forest right mortgage loans and stored red wine mortgage loans. At the same time, the branch has concluded and promoted the "corporate + farmer household" comprehensive credit operation mode of Saifeiya Group, where loans are granted to farmers and husbandry households with the group providing guarantee. The branch has given full play to the leading demonstrative role of science and technology, and has gained good social and economic returns.

ABC Henan Branch focuses on building modern logistics systems in rural areas through fully supporting the construction of large food logistics nodes, cold chains for agro-products, and raw & fresh food distribution centers. It has respectively granted RMB1.2 billion of proposed credit line to enterprises directly under the Henan Supply and Marketing Cooperative, member enterprises of the "New Network Project" and upstream farmers. Moreover, it has given RMB1.2 billion of proposed credits to sponsoring enterprises and agro-stores of the "Village Markets" (a project to encourage retailers to open stores in more townships and villages) and participating enterprises and sales networks of the "Home Appliances Going to the Countryside Project". Meanwhile, it has also carried out extensive and in-depth cooperation with the Henan Provincial Commerce Department and supply and marketing cooperatives, and cumulatively lent RMB580 million to 21,000 farmer households. Thus, it has completed the effective connect between the commodity circulation system and financial service system in rural areas.

ABC will continue to offer comprehensive services to enhance the role of science and technology in supporting agriculture and enriching farmers. It will provide diverse financial services to high-tech agro-enterprises to help tackle financing difficulties and reduce financing costs, and substantially improve farmers' income to fulfill its commitment of "serving Sannong".