Banco Pichincha and Rabobank have entered into a partnership. The cooperation agreement focuses on fostering rural development, strengthening Banco Pichincha’s approach towards the Food & Agricultural sector in Ecuador and reinforcing its capabilities on digitization and data management.
“Through the strategic partnership with Rabobank we expect to become a strong financial player and support anchor companies in the Agriculture sector by integrating value chains in order to compete in the international arena. This is a part of our responsibility as the largest and longest standing bank of Ecuador”, says Mr. Antonio Acosta, president of Banco Pichincha.
The global food and agriculture sector faces a major challenge: how to provide a growing, aging and wealthier world population with enough, healthy and sustainably produced food. “Rabobank’s commitment to invest and build strong financial service providers in emerging economies is in line with its ‘Banking for Food’ strategy, which is aimed at providing access to its knowledge, finances and networks”, says Mrs. Marianne Schoemaker, managing director of Rabo Partnerships.
The agricultural potential in emerging countries is significant. The Latin American region is an important net exporter of food and agricultural commodities, accounting for 16% of the total global food and agriculture exports and 4% of the total food and agriculture imports. “To help unlock further potential for future global food production, Rabobank aspires to provide support to financial institutions and other players in agricultural value chains worldwide to enable them to increase the production, efficiency and to become more sustainable,” according to Mrs. Schoemaker.
The Ecuadorian economy is mainly based on the production and export of its natural resources. The agricultural sector has a strong impact on exports and, therefore, in the economic growth of the country. “Although the country has an enormous and diversified agricultural and food potential, only 8.1% of Ecuador’s GDP is generated by the F&A sector," according to Mr. Acosta.
Rabobank’s roots are in Dutch agriculture, a sector that today has an excellent reputation worldwide. The Netherlands is considered to be one of the most productive and efficient food producers in the world, often taking the lead in innovation. Despite its small size, the country is among the world’s largest exporters of agricultural products and a leader in food quality. Rabobank has played an important role in the development of Dutch agriculture and horticulture and has been leveraging its experience and expertise for international food and agri-chains for decades.
For more information 
Abel Castillo
Banco Pichincha
Tel: +593 22505552
Email: castillo@pichincha.com
Norbert Cappetti 
Rabobank
Tel: +31(0)6214622 26
Email: pressoffice@rabobank.nl