Our History

The concept of partnerships has been around for some time. However in agriculture they are relatively new. The Founder of Prorustica developed the agricultural-focused PPP concept when working for a major Dutch bank in the 1990s.

Heading up their agri-project finance team in South East Asia he was instrumental in the design and finance of one of the first large scale agri-based Public Private Partnerships. Working with an international sugar and sweeteners group, the Vietnamese government, International Finance Corporation and the Asian Development Bank, the Partnership designed, financed and developed a large-scale sugar-cane production and sugar processing facility. The programme also developed sustainable cane production through the support of over 22,000 farmers and their families.

In 2002 Prorustica was set up to develop the PPP model further recognizing the need for new business and social development models that not only built in commercial goals but addressed the sustainability issue. The company’s success is founded on an understanding of private sector development and how it relates and can support rural-based development.

Prorustica has a keen understanding of how partnerships, when combined with value chain development and innovative finance facilities, can play a vital role in developing scalable commodity development programmes.

To date Prorustica is involved in some of the Africa’s most innovative PPP development programmes working closely with some of the world’s leading agribusiness companies, donors and governments to support commercial farming linked to smallholder and emergent farmer development.