Yavor Tochilov from the village of Zagrazhdane raises 200 cows. He has been engaged in animal husbandry for 13 years. He is a hereditary farmer with ambitions to develop and modernize his farm. To this end, for the first time he got a loan to purchase agricultural machinery worth BGN 470,000. He was approved for a subsidy under Measure 121 of the RDP for 60% of the amount, added 20% deductible, and, thanks to the National Guarantee Fund, which issued a guarantee for 80% of the loan, he received funding.

The farmer says that with the new equipment it is much easier to service his farm.

"Before, to collect 1,000 bales of hay for the cows, three or four people worked all summer. Now, with the new machines, I mowed them myself, collected and transported them in a breeze”, Tochilov boasts.

He plans to apply for a milking parlor loan if there is another program for modernization of farms under Measure 121.

He will again seek the support of the National Guarantee Fund, since otherwise the collateral required by the banks is beyond his reach.