The investment is part of a €100m EBRD-led financing package for MHP SE, aimed at safeguarding jobs and building resilience in the Ukrainian food and agricultural sectors during the ongoing war.
Swedish and British development finance institutions have committed €50m as part of a €100m European Bank for Development and Reconstruction (EBRD)-led financing package for MHP SE, a Ukrainian agribusiness products producer.
The €20m loan from Swedfund and €30m loan from British International Investment (BII), which complement an earlier €40m commitment made by the EBRD, will be channelled into the company’s investment programme aimed at investing in energy security, improving production and operational efficiency and diversifying geographically to mitigate the impacts of the ongoing war.
MHP, which is Ukraine’s largest poultry and culinary and processed meat products producer, as well as a key player within sunflower oil, employs more than 30,000 people in Ukraine, of whom more than 40% are women. BII said the company would use the injection of capital to enhance its internal HR practices to promote gender equality and career development.
The investment will also be used to facilitate the reintegration of war veterans into the workforce by providing psychological training, building on MHP’s existing efforts that have already brought over 370 veterans into employment according to BII.
Food systems are one of Swedfund’s priority areas of investment and the organisation said its share of the loan will be used specifically for food production efficiency investments such as equipment for sunflower processing and upgrades of agricultural machinery.
Food security
A spokesperson for EBRD told Impact Investor that MHP is a long-standing client of the bank with eight transactions signed since 2010.
“Being the biggest producer of poultry meat products and one of the top edible oil producers in Ukraine, makes it a company of vital importance to Ukraine’s and global food security. MHP also plays a crucial social and economic role in Ukraine, which becomes especially important while the country is at war,” they said, adding that MHP required substantial financing to implement their investment programme.
“We are glad to have been able to support them, through our financial package with Swedbank and BII.”
EBRD confirmed that the remaining €10m remains uncommitted as of yet, and would be committed subject to the successful mobilisation of another lender or lenders as a B-loan, in which participants ‘sub-participate’ in EBRD’s loan but the EBRD remains as the lender of record.
Building resilience
Swedfund said that because of the war, access to international capital markets is limited in Ukraine, even for financially sound companies. The financial package will contribute to Ukraine’s economic resilience and to safeguarding much needed local employment as well as export opportunities, it added.
The investment will also fund training programmes for young people, helping to build a skilled and resilient workforce for the future.
Maria Håkansson, CEO of Swedfund, said: “The consequences of the war in Ukraine are multi-facetted and through this investment we can maintain employment opportunities, not least for women and veterans, create new jobs, generate tax incomes and export revenues, support local value creation and more sustainable business practices. This is important to support Ukraine’s economic resilience.”
BII echoed earlier statements from the EBRD that said that by supporting MHP’s ability to maintain and expand exports to over 70 countries, the investment will also strengthen both Ukraine’s food security and global supply chains. This includes the thousands of small businesses the company supports, including more than 2,000 small retail stores and 2,500 local farmers.
Colin Buckley, managing director and general counsel at BII, said: “Ukraine’s food and agriculture sector is vital to its economy and to global food supply chains. Our investment in MHP will help safeguard livelihoods, support the reintegration of veterans, and ensure the sector remains resilient in the face of ongoing conflict.”
Support for Ukraine
Swedfund explained the Swedish government’s support in 2025 included SEK 500m (€44.6m) earmarked for investments in Ukraine. The DFI has previously invested into the Ukrainian IT and energy sectors and has more than 30 projects supporting the public sector with feasibility studies within critical infrastructure and recovery, such as energy, water, wastewater and digitalisation.
Not unlike Swedfund, the MHP loan forms part of the UK government’s £250m budget allocation to BII to support Ukraine’s reconstruction. BII said the investment aligns with its mandate in Ukraine to support the private sector and co-invest with experienced partners in key sectors such as agriculture, green infrastructure, energy, and financial services.
Asked about the importance of investing during times of conflict, the EBRD spokesperson said having supported Ukraine’s “agile and resourceful private sector” during peacetime, this is even more important now, in wartime, because a functioning private sector creates jobs and sustains livelihoods.
“It provides crucial tax revenues which Ukraine needs to finance the war effort, contributing to a healthy economy. A well-functioning private sector and economy will make sure Ukraine is more self-sustaining and that over time it grows less reliant on the external budget support it needs now to fund both the war and the country’s ordinary economic needs,” they said.
“This is why the EBRD’s work in Ukraine and its neighbours, supporting the real economy and fostering the growth of the private sector and reforms in line with the EU’s accession agenda, is so important,” they added.
