Roland Susunyan
“My father was Farm Credit’s customer, therefore, the trust towards the head of the institution and his team was inherited by me from my father…”
Roland Susunyan is among the first member-shareholders of “Farm Credit Armenia”. He joined the institution back in year 2007 and has already obtained 8 loans. He is engaged in gardening and cultivation of vegetable crops. When recollecting the commencement of his cooperation with “Farm Credit”, Roland says:
“My father knew the head of “Farm Credit” still from “ACBA” bank, therefore, I can say that the trust towards his team was inherited by me from my father. I remember the first loan for which I applied – the amount was AMD 10 million. I got refusal from other banks, so I applied to “Farm Credit”. It was difficult because I did not have my own property to pledge and get the necessary amount. I had to pledge the property that belonged to my uncle’s friend and, with difficulty, but managed to get the necessary AMD 10 million via “Farm Credit” within the framework of “Water-to-Market” program.
I started working immediately after receiving the loan. I bought agricultural machinery, began to cultivate land intensively, and expanded our gardens. Of course, it was difficult at that time, as I made monthly instalments of AMD 100,000, but I managed to succeed and repaid the loan in two-year period...”
Roland Susunyan was originally engaged in cultivation of tomatoes, then he planted new fruit trees and expanded the farm, as a result of which he managed to release the pledged property owned by his uncle’s friend within several years. Roland proudly states: “Soon I was able to buy my own house and new land plots, and was already pledging my own property”.
Currently, Roland Susunyan’s farm covers an area of 7 hectares, where he grows plum, peach, apple, cherry, pear, apricot, and grape. Most of the harvest is sold locally through re-sellers, and the remaining part of it is kept in special refrigerating compartments for later sale at higher prices. With the recent loan obtained from Farm Credit, he also renovated and expanded his refrigeration area to store more harvest. Garden cultivation is done with his own tractors purchased with “Farm Credit’s” funding. Besides, Roland Susunyan is engaged in growing and selling seedlings - about 7,000 planting materials are vaccinated annually, of which at least 5,000 are sold.
Starting with pledge of relatives’ property and finally purchasing his own immovable property and agricultural machinery, increasing the number of refrigerators from 1 to 8, growing from a small land plot to about 7 hectares, Roland Susunyan has passed a long and difficult ten-year way with “Farm Credit”. Today he is able to make larger and more serious steps with peaceful conscience, having a reliable footing.
“At first, my only problem was the collateral. Now it’s not an obstacle for me any longer. My credit line gives me the opportunity of using bigger financial resources than I actually use, but in the existing conditions of financial-economic instability, I do not want to take big risk. I get the same advice from “Farm Credit” employees who really care about us. At “Farm Credit”, I am treated like a family member. I remember that in years 2007-2008 we got loans directly from the head office, i.e. from the senior staff of “Farm Credit”. But the most important thing is that currently the employees of our branch have adopted and maintain the same values and attitude, which we received from their managers at the beginning”.