Greenhouse facilities - one of the segments of agriculture - are in the focus of Ameriabank's attention. The press office of the Bank has told ArmInfo that a greenhouse with an area of 10.5 hectares will open in Goght village (Kotayk province) of Armenia on May 15, 2015.
The greenhouse will create 300 new jobs. Vegetable crops - tomatoes, peppers an cucumbers - will be grown at the facility and will further be exported to Russia.
Ameriabank has provided the major part of the funding. The initiator of the project was Armenian Harvest LLC. A total of 30 ha of land has been cultivated, but only 10.5 ha will be used for the moment.
Ameriabank's loan book for greenhouse facilities is 40 mln USD (leading position in the banking system of Armenia).
According to the National Statistical Service of Armenia, the share of gross agricultural products in the GDP is about 20% or 894 bln AMD, with a 7.8% increase for 2014 (versus a 7.6% increase for 2013). Over the past few years the accelerated development of the sector was mostly due to the greenhouse facilities.
The Financial Rating of Armenian Banks by the Agency of Rating Marketing Information (ArmInfo) says that as of 1 April 2015 Ameriabank's position in terms of agricultural loans rose from the TOP-10 to the TOP-3 in the banking system (second position with 18 bln AMD, with a 4-fold year-over-year growth, and a 17.2% growth in Q1 2015). Ameriabank retains leadership in terms of lending to economy sectors - over 215 bln AMD, with a 44% year-over-year growth. The sole owner of Ameriabank is Ameria Group CY Ltd. Fitch Ratings has published the Long-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) rating of Ameriabank at B+ with a Negative Outlook. Ameriabank has become the first Armenian bank with no foreign parent bank to receive a rating similar to the country ceiling rating, which is a high assessment. The rating testifies to open and transparent activity of Ameriabank.