30.05.2022

ACCEPTANCE OF PROJECTS FOR INVESTMENTS IN PROCESSING AND MARKETING OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS HAS STARTED

Acceptance of project proposals under sub-measure 4.2 "Investments in processing/marketing of agricultural products" began on May 17, 2022. The procedure provides for the acceptance of projects with an investment value of up to 300,000 euros under the sub-measure, which is part of measure 4 "Investments in tangible assets" The Rural Development Program 2014-2020

Measure 4.2 fulfills the commitment made in the coalition agreement to support small and medium-sized producers, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.

The envisaged financial resource for providing grants to the eligible candidates under the procedure amounts to BGN 39,116,000.

The maximum amount of eligible costs for one project is BGN 586,740, and the financial assistance for the approved project proposals is up to 50 percent of the total amount of eligible costs for financial support. For applicants-large enterprises in the sense of the Law on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, the amount of the financial aid is up to 40 per cent of the total amount of the eligible costs for financial support.

Eligible applicants for the procedure are:

• Farmers registered in accordance with Ordinance № 3 of 1999 without interruption during the last 36 months as of the date of submission of the project proposal and the standard production volume of their agricultural holding to be not less than the BGN equivalent of EUR 8,000;
• Producer groups or organizations recognized by the Minister of Agriculture and operating continuously during the last 36 months as of the date of submission of the project proposal;
• Sole traders and legal entities other than the above-mentioned applicants who have carried out activities for processing of agricultural products without interruption during the last 36 months as of the date of submission of the project proposal.

The production investments applied for must be carried out in the following selected production sectors related to the processing/marketing of agricultural products:

• Milk and milk products, including poultry eggs, with the exception of the production, processing and/or marketing of substitutes for milk and milk products;
• meat and meat products;
• Fruits and vegetables, including mushrooms;
• Honey and bee products with the exception of production, processing and/or marketing of products resembling/replacing bee honey and bee products;
• Cereals, mills and starches, except for the production, processing and/or marketing of bread and pasta;
• Vegetable and animal oils and fats with the exception of the production, processing and/or marketing of olive oil;
• Technical and medical crops, including oil-bearing roses, herbs and cotton, with the exception of the production, processing and/or marketing of tobacco and tobacco products, sugar and confectionery;
• Ready-to-eat foods for farm animals (feed);
• Grape must, wine and vinegar.

Project proposals under the procedure can be submitted by applicants by filling in a web-based application form and submitting the form and supporting documents through the Information System for Management and Monitoring of European Structural and Investment Funds for the period 2014 - 2020 (UMIS2020) using the Qualified Electronic Signature (QES), at the following Internet address: http://eumis2020.government.bg/.

The deadline for submitting project proposals is 5:30 pm on August 17, 2022.