This time the aid is 40,000 euros. The most points are given for graduates, activities in sensitive sectors, business plans with innovation, digital technologies and RES
The Ministry of Agriculture announced at the end of last week that draft application guidelines and implementation conditions for three interventions from the Strategic Plan have been published. These are “Start-up aid for young farmers in agriculture”, “Start-up aid for new farmers in agriculture” (for the first time) and “Support for very small farms”.
Important: For the development of the business plan, applicants can receive free (for them) help from the agricultural advisory services.
In three posts we will present the main ones conditions to apply for each of the interventions. We start with the popular measure for young farmers in the previous period.
Budget and individual assistance
The intervention has a portfolio of EUR 90 million, and the individual aid has been increased to EUR 40,000, which will be paid in two equal parts. The first part is up to two months after the conclusion of the contract with DF “Agriculture”. The second part is after the finalization of the project.
The guidelines define under what conditions the prospective applicant can be determined to be eligible for assistance.
Conditions
He must be between 18 and no more than 40 years old (inclusive) and possess relevant professional skills and competences at the date of submission of the application for support. It is necessary to have established for the first time as the head of an agricultural holding in the last 24 months before submitting the application for support.
When the applicant natural person, the sole owner of the capital of the EOOD or the owner of the enterprise of the ET does not meet the requirements for professional skills and competences, the application for assistance can be approved on the condition that these requirements will be fulfilled no later than the selected period to check the implementation of the business plan.
Support is provided only with a developed business plan for a period of five years, starting from the date of submission of the support application, and the implementation of this business plan must start no later than 9 months from the date of the decision to grant the support , but not earlier than submitting the application for assistance.
Young farmers must have an economic size of the farm, measured in standard production volume (SPO) within the limits between the leva equivalent of over 8,000 euros and up to and including 20,000 euros. It is calculated using a table – see here. There are some peculiarities in the calculation of SPO. For example, if the prospective beneficiary is a greenhouse grower and the same greenhouse area is used several times, it is counted only once, taking into account the crop with the highest standard production volume/standard output. (See the full text of the conditions HERE)
Applicants are required to be registered as farmers under Ordinance No. 3 of 1999. For animal breeders, the animal breeding site must be registered under Art. 137 of the Law on Veterinary Medicine. Tenants of land and farms must have at least a 5-year lease.
Another requirement is that the applicants have not entered into a contract for support under the intervention “Supporting the development of small agricultural holdings” from the 2023-2027 RDP and/or sub-measure 6.1 “Start-up support for young farmers” from the 2014-2020 RDP.
Approved projects must be completed within 36 months. They must guarantee an increase in the economic size of the holding compared to the initial size by at least 4,000 EUR SPO or 2,500 EUR SPO for an increase in economic size with only bee colonies, large or small ruminants for milk or meat.
The business plan must include data on the initial state of the agricultural holding; stages and goals for the development of agricultural activity; description of the planned activities and deadline for their implementation; the described activities related to the environment and efficient use of resources and others.
It must include an investment in DMA such as machines, and/or facilities, and/or equipment, and/or the performance of construction and installation works and/or the purchase of agricultural land, related to the activity of the agricultural holding, with a total value of no more than less than 35% (€7,000.00) of the amount of the first payment received.
Evaluation criteria
In the evaluation criteria, the maximum number of points – 10, are given, for
- Project proposals with activities aimed at the “Fruits and vegetables” sector and/or the “Livestock” sector and/or the “Essential oil and medicinal crops” sector, where the SPO of the applicant’s agricultural holding at the time of application is formed by farmed animals and/or crops from the “Fruits and vegetables” sector and/or the “Essential oil and medicinal crops” sector.
- Project proposals with investments in innovative technologies for the farm, such as: innovative production technologies, digital technologies for production and organization in agriculture, RES and automation of work processes in agricultural production, including irrigation systems, as well as activities ensuring the protection of environmental components environment.
- The applicant has a completed higher education in the field of agriculture, veterinary medicine, or economic education with an agricultural focus, or will graduate within the framework of the implementation of the project proposal.
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