The Ukraininan company which bought Agroind for 1.7 million EUR has no money. They intend to pay to the farmers with regular income from sale of wine and spirits, with bank warranty as a 'safety valve' for payments to vintners. The Ukrainians should obtain a bank warranty at foreign banks in the amount of half a million euros by March 10, which would be a guarantee for first instalments of the owed sum. In absence of payment the farmers, or the Vipava cooperative would cash the warranty.
Dmytr Leshchenko, on January 28 appointed as the head by the new owner of the Vipava winery, Cyprus-based Demistone Holding Limited, after meeting the farmers and representatives of the Vipava agricultural cooperative, assured: "We will pay the million euros owed to the farmers for the last year's grapes by this October 15. The first bank warranty we will obtain on March 10 will expire in four months. If proportionate instalments for the grapes won't be settled by then, the farmers will be able to cash the warranty."
The farmers believe him
The farmers were satisfied with the assurances given by Leshchenko at the meeting. The president of the Agricultural Cooperative Vipava Aleš Kosovel believes the promises made by the Ukrainians: "The first bank warranty of half a million is safe enough. But the truth is that we must see the bank documents first, and get assurance that the warranty will indeed be given. Today we were given promises and assurance – but on March 10 we will demand to see everything in black and white, on paper."