Besides the obvious subsidy effect for agricultural producers, the main argument
in favour of credit subsidies is that -- if the collateral problem is addressed as well -- the fall
in agricultural production and disruption "below a long-run equilibrium" may be mitigated
or reversed (because of the special conditions of transition). Additionally, discussions with
local specialists suggest that some countries see credit subsidies also as a way of
supporting agriculture without getting in conflict with their GATT agreements, as might be
the case when they would use price supports
. A third argument is that, as state
enterprises and production structures under liquidation or restructuring typically care less
about repaying loans (as their debts are often regularly cancelled) their demand for credit
may have a crowding out effect on private farmers or enterprises facing hard budget
constraints. In this way the latter face unfair competition from the former on the demand
side of the credit market. Credit subsidies may mitigate this effect.