The year of Ukrainian manufacturers: what support programs the government plans in 2025

Last year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy launched the "Made in Ukraine" policy, which has since grown into a comprehensive infrastructure of support programs for manufacturers and a community of businesses creating Ukrainian products, nurturing them, investing in development despite the war, and opening new factories and plants.

Last winter, I visited a factory in Dnipro that produces household goods. The owner said, "In a year, I will invite you to our new tea production facility. We are starting its construction, and not even the war will stop me." A year has passed, and he kept his word. Hundreds of other entrepreneurs have done the same—building, restoring, and expanding production despite the war.

Supporting such people is the least we can do as a state, primarily because our economic stability depends on them. Only through the taxes and fees paid by Ukrainian businesses can we finance the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Undoubtedly, the main priority of the 2025 budget is security and defense. However, it is also crucial for us to strengthen the capabilities of our producers to have more resources to support the troops.

Therefore, the "Made in Ukraine" policy will be fully funded in the coming year. Support for Ukrainian producers, developing non-raw material exports, and attracting investments in the real sector have been and will remain priorities for the government this year and next.

We are maintaining all aspects of the "Made in Ukraine" policy: affordable credits, grants, mortgages, compensation for Ukrainian equipment and machinery, micro-grants, support for projects with significant investments, and industrial parks.

As of now, we have allocated at least 36 billion hryvnias ($873 million) to support businesses through major economic programs for 2025. This includes funds allocated in the expenditure part of the budget and funds from other sources.

The "Affordable Loans 5-7-9%" program is one of the most popular among Ukrainian businesses. The budget project allocates 18 billion hryvnias ($436 million) for this program. Since its launch in February 2020, 99,300 loans totaling 342.8 billion hryvnias ($8.3 billion) have been issued. According to the World Bank, the "5-7-9" program is one of the most effective state programs. This year, the program was reoriented towards investment goals, doubling the share of the investment portfolio.

The grant program for manufacturers will also continue. In 2025, we have allocated 1.37 billion hryvnias ($33 million) for processing grants, allowing recipients to receive up to 8 million hryvnias ($194,000) for equipment expansion. Since the program's launch in July 2022, over 1,000 positive decisions totaling more than 5 billion hryvnias ($121 million) have been made.

Next year, we will launch the second wave of our partnership project "Create!", supported by donors. This grant is for women owners or managers of manufacturing enterprises.

The "eOselya" program, which helps Ukrainians access affordable housing and stimulates the construction industry, will also continue. The budget allocates 9.3 billion hryvnias ($226 million) for this program. The priority for next year is to refocus the program on the primary market to further support the construction industry and building material manufacturers. The real results of the program are already noticeable—thanks to "eOselya," the production of building materials in the first half of 2024 increased by 37.1%.

The budget also includes a subsidy of 1.6 billion hryvnias ($39 million) for the purchase of Ukrainian-made buses for schools next year.

At the beginning of next year, we will allocate funding for other programs, but we can already announce the plan.

Ukrainian agrarians will continue to receive a 25% compensation for purchasing Ukrainian agricultural machinery. We plan to fund projects totaling 1 billion hryvnias ($24 million). This supports farmers and stimulates the development of the machine-building industry.

This year, we expanded this program to include other equipment. It allows for a 15% compensation of the cost of Ukrainian equipment and machinery, including energy equipment. Currently, the registry includes over 140 items. We plan to allocate 1 billion hryvnias ($24 million) for this program.

Another effective tool for attracting investments and economic development of regions is industrial parks. In 2025, we plan to allocate 1 billion hryvnias ($24 million) for the development of industrial infrastructure in industrial parks. This year, we have orders to support 14 parks, and some have already received funds.

Next year, the mechanism for supporting projects with significant investments will continue. If an entrepreneur wants to invest at least 12 million euros in Ukraine, they can apply for compensation of up to 30% of the capital investment volume through various support forms. Specifically, we plan to allocate 1 billion hryvnias ($24 million) for compensating the construction of engineering and transport networks.

We also plan to allocate funds for one of the most popular programs, "Own Business." We plan to issue at least 10,000 grants to small and micro-businesses.

The Export Credit Agency will continue to operate, both in export insurance programs and in insuring investments against war risks.

All these programs share a common goal—to support Ukrainian businesses and producers. I believe this will strengthen the long-term resilience of Ukraine's economy, even in wartime. I am confident that our producers will once again show that they can convert support into extraordinary results through their resilience, innovation, and persistence.