Advisory guide – 02.08.2023

Estimated release date: 15 October – 30 November 2023

Objective

The intervention of DR 15 "Investments in fruit farms" contributes to the PS 2023-2027 objectives, as follows:

BONE. 2 Strengthening the market orientation and increasing the competitiveness of agricultural farms, both in the short and long term, including increasing the focus on research, technology and digitalisation.

BONE. 4 Contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, including by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving carbon sequestration, as well as promoting sustainable energy.

OTX Cross-cutting objective of modernizing the sector by stimulating and sharing knowledge, promoting innovation and digitization in agriculture and rural areas, and encouraging the adoption of these measures.

A single call will be launched for the 2023-2029 programming period. Projects will be submitted based on the monthly quality threshold.

The allocated budget

151,383,527 euros

Eligible beneficiaries

Farmers, agricultural cooperatives and cooperative societies, producer groups and organizations

Minimum eligibility criteria

• The applicant must demonstrate the ability to ensure the co-financing of the investment (minimum 35% of the eligible amount)
• The economic viability of the investment must be demonstrated based on the technical-economic documentation
• In the case of processing/storage/conditioning projects minimum 50% from fruit products that are subject to processing/storage/conditioning, must come from own orchards and/or from members' farms (in the case of associative forms)
• The applicant will appear in the APIA/ANSVSA system (as the case may be), prior to the submission of the funding application, with the form of carrying out the economic activity with which he requests support through this intervention
• In the case of establishment and/or reconversion, the applicant must only use fruit material from the certified organic category or from a higher category
• For nurseries, the applicant undertakes that the resulting material will be fruiting or propagating material from the certified biological category or from a higher category
• The investment must be made within a farm with an economic size of at least 4000 SO, and the established/replanted area foreseen by the project must be equivalent to a minimum of 3000 Euro SO for all species and culture systems, including nurseries

1. The investment must be made within a farm with an economic size of at least 4000 SO (*as appropriate, depending on the type of applicant)
2. The established/replanted surface provided for by the project must be equivalent to a minimum of 3,000 euros SOC for all species and culture systems, including nurseries
3. For projects proposing the establishment and/or reconversion or the production of propagation material and/or fruit planting material, it is checked whether the applicant has presented the approved technical project in accordance with national legislation

The amount of non-reimbursable public aid

• For investment projects that propose the purchase of agricultural machinery and equipment: 300,000 euros/project
• For all other investments: 1,500,000 euros/project, such as:
• Investments in the establishment and modernization of fruit farms, including the establishment and conversion of fruit plantations, the modernization of the fleet of agricultural machinery and equipment including technological trailers and semi-trailers,
• Investments in the establishment and modernization of fruit nurseries, including the increase of the areas occupied by planting material;

• Establishment, expansion and/or modernization of conditioning and/or storage units;
• The establishment, expansion and/or modernization of farm-level processing units, including related equipment, only as a secondary component of the project;

Financing percentage – maximum 65%

Eligible investments

• The establishment and modernization of fruit farms, including the establishment and conversion of fruit plantations, the modernization of the fleet of agricultural machinery and equipment including technological trailers and semi-trailers (specialized for agricultural activity)

• Equipment and systems for early warning of adverse weather phenomena as well as other equipment to reduce the effects of adverse weather phenomena (for example, anti-hail nets, weather stations, anti-freeze equipment, for the protection of fruit plantations against late spring frosts, etc.)

• Establishment/modernization of facilities related to ensuring hygiene and biosecurity at the farm level

• Investments in the establishment and modernization of fruit nurseries, including the increase of the areas occupied by planting material

• Establishment, expansion and/or modernization of conditioning and/or storage units

• Establishment, expansion and/or modernization of farm-level processing units, including related equipment, only as a secondary component of the project (from a financial point of view)

• Establishing/developing the farm-level sales/marketing component, including farm gate shops or food trailers through which only own agricultural products will be marketed), only as a secondary component of the project

• The production and use of energy (electrical and/or thermal) from renewable sources (solar, wind, geothermal, aerothermal, hydrothermal, etc.), as a secondary component of an investment project, and the energy obtained will be exclusively intended for own consumption without the applicant be prosumer

• Investments that contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions (secondary component of the project), related to:
• improving the energy efficiency of buildings where an eligible activity is carried out within the intervention;
• the purchase of equipment/machinery with low energy consumption, as well as other investments that contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions;
• investments in the circular economy

• Investments related to the use of digital solutions at farm level

• Establishment and/or modernization of on-farm irrigation equipment, including on-farm water storage facilities

• Establishing and/or upgrading access roads within the farm, including utilities and connections, only as a secondary component of the project

• The purchase, including through leasing, of new machines/machinery and equipment, agricultural/technological trailers, within the market value of the respective asset.

Eligible species

• Fruit trees
  • apple, hair, quince, plum, cherry, sour cherry, apricot, peach, nectarine, walnut, almond, hazelnut, chestnut
• Fruit bushes
  • blackcurrant, red, white, gooseberry, garden raspberry, cultivated blueberry, garden mulberry, blackberry with or without thorns, poppy, black elder, rose for petals, lonicera caerulea L., horn, goji, sea buckthorn, black hawthorn;
• Strawberry
• mulberry tree

IMPORTANT!

In the case of processing/storage/conditioning projects, at least 50% of fruit products that are subject to processing/storage/conditioning must come from the own fruit farm and/or members' farms (in the case of associative forms).

In the case of on-farm processing, both the processed raw material and the processing result must be included in Annex I to the TFEU.

In the case of establishment and/or reconversion, the applicant must use only fruit material from the certified organic category or from a higher category.

Associative forms cannot make plantation/nursery establishment investments and/or plantation reconversion on members' lands.

Investments for commercialization, such as shops at the farm gate or food trailers, will be exclusively intended for the commercialization of own agricultural products.

Types of ineligible investments and expenses:

• plantation maintenance expenses
• purchases of means of transport for goods/merchandise, not specialized for the agricultural activity targeted by the project
• purchase of means of transport for people/for personal use
• the acquisition of buildings
• land acquisition
• construction and modernization of the home
• the purchase of a tractor
• expenses with the spaces that serve the general activity of the holding: administrative offices, meeting rooms, protocol rooms, accommodation spaces, etc.)
• acquisition of agricultural production rights, payment rights, animals, annual plants and the planting of the latter
• obtaining alcoholic beverages
• expenses related to investments from the Vegetable-Fruit Sectoral Program
• anti-hail protection systems with the exception of anti-hail nets.