Advisory guide – 02.08.2023

Estimated release date: 15 October – 30 November 2023

Objective

The support granted through this intervention will contribute to:

Development/modernization/re-technological development of the food industry in a sustainable way;

Supporting the viable development of food chains, collection and conditioning systems;

The need for increased cooperation between actors involved in the food chain;

Development of bioeconomy and circular economy;

Development of a sustainable food sector.

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

210,300,000 euros

Eligible beneficiaries

• Associative forms
• SMEs (including PFA, II, IF)
• Large enterprises

Conditions of eligibility

The applicant must demonstrate the ability to ensure the co-financing of the investment (at the contracting stage)

The applicant must not be in difficulty, in accordance with the legislation in force

The economic viability of the investment must be demonstrated based on the presentation of the technical-economic documentation

The support will be limited to investments in the processing of agricultural and fruit products included in the list contained in Annex I to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union in order to obtain Annex I products

The amount of non-reimbursable public aid

• For modernization investment projects: maximum 3 million euros/project
• For start-up investment projects proposing processing for the fruit-vegetable, milling, oil and compound feed sectors: maximum 10 million euros/project
• For all other start-up investments: maximum 7 million euros

The financing percentage – 65% of the total eligible expenses

Eligible investments

• Establishing, expanding and/or modernizing the infrastructure for conditioning, storing and/or processing agricultural and fruit products
• Establishment/development of the sales/marketing component as a secondary component of the project
• Investments that contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions, as a secondary component of the investment project, related to:
  • The production and use of energy from renewable sources (solar, wind, aerothermal, geothermal, hydrothermal, etc.) exclusively for own consumption, without the applicant being a prosumer
  • Improving the energy efficiency of buildings where an eligible activity is carried out within the intervention (e.g. use of construction materials that allow improving energy efficiency, thermal insulation, thermal energy recovery equipment, etc)
  • 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, as a secondary component of the investment project (intended exclusively for own consumption)
• Investments in the circular economy, as a secondary component of the investment project (intended exclusively for own consumption) related to:
  • Production and use of energy from biomass recovery (including food waste resulting from the processing of livestock, vegetable and fruit products)
  • Processing food waste for recovery and by-products into bio-components, such as bio-products for animal consumption, etc.
  • The purchase of equipment for the reuse of packaging in its own technological process
• Investments related to the use of digital solutions in conditioning, processing, marketing and management
• Improvement of internal quality control as a secondary part of the project
• Compliance with the new standards imposed by European legislation for the processing and marketing of agri-food products
• Expenses generated by investments in intangible assets

IMPORTANT!

It is not allowed that the raw material collected for processing comes from the spontaneous flora.

For example: blueberries, blackberries, currants, walnuts, hazelnuts, mushrooms, etc., harvested from spontaneous flora (which cannot be included in the category of actual agricultural products), cannot constitute raw material intended for processing within the DR 22 Intervention.

The following specialized means of transport that transport only a certain type of raw materials/goods suitable for the activity described in the project will be considered eligible expenses:

• Truck
• Autoisotherms (equipped with thermal insulation of the walls, but without refrigeration aggregate, being used for the transport of food goods)
• Autoisotherms with cold (transport of perishable products or with controlled temperatures)
• Food caravans and caravans
• Specialized trailers and semi-trailers
• Compact, specialized means of transport, approved for the transport of live animals.