As of September 1, 1.1 billion lei has been allocated to farmers from the Fund for Subsidizing the Development of Agriculture and Rural Areas totaling 1.75 billion lei, which is 45% more compared to the same period in 2021.
The Interim Director of the Agency for Intervention and Payments in Agriculture (AIPA), Diana Cosalic, announced this, at a joint briefing with the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, Vladimir Bolea. She recalled that through the National Agricultural and Rural Development Fund, AIPA provides assistance to agricultural producers to implement small and medium-sized business projects and develop rural communities. This year the National Fund of Agricultural and Rural Development of Moldova amounted to a record-breaking sum of 1 billion 750 million lei, and it is the first time AIPA manages such a sum allocated from the state budget. Financial means are allocated for many support programs. Diana Cosalic said that, as of September 1, 1.1 billion lei has been allocated to farmers from the Fund for Subsidizing the Development of Agriculture and Rural Areas. At the same time, there were paid debts to agricultural producers from 2021. The means allocated through this mechanism, amounting to 852 million lei, allowed the attraction of investments of more than 3 billion lei. These sources allowed the development of more than 3000 economic agents, who applied for financial support and created more than 1000 workplaces. Another business-oriented financial incentive is the support for startup projects, which has been ongoing since 2018. This year, young agricultural start-ups, women and migrant workers who returned to the country and opened their first business in the agricultural sector have already received 25 million lei. Local authorities, who are developing infrastructure in rural areas, also receive subsidies. So, this year, 47 million lei has been allocated for 80 investment projects, according to the results of a competition for subsidies. This year the government launched 3 new programs to support farmers. First of all it is about reimbursement of excise duty on diesel fuel. AIPA implements such mechanism for the first time. In the 1st half of the year AIPA received 2111 requests for financial support for the reimbursement of excise duty on diesel fuel. Thus, 114 producers received 4.6 million lei, and in the near future the necessary funds will be paid to other producers. This year for the first time the program of land improvement was implemented. At the same time, this year, money from the state budget is allocated for advance subsidizing of local development projects within the LEADER program. Thus, 40 local action groups receive financial assistance for the implementation of local development strategies. Under the first tranche, there were paid 17.4 million lei. "The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry will support Moldovan farmers so that they can more easily overcome the current crises. To achieve this goal, 28 agricultural professional committees have been established for periodic consultations with the ministry. Based on these consultations, decisions will be approved to modify and modernize the subsidy provision. The Ministry of Agriculture is the only partner and protector of all Moldovan farmers and their interests at the national and international level," said Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vladimir Bolea. // 06.09.2022 – InfoMarket
