At the end of this year, the Romanian authorities will continue to grant financial support of 1,000 euros each to farmers who grow vegetables in protected areas in the off-season. The program is known as Tomato, but it refers not only to tomatoes, but also to other vegetables grown in greenhouses.
In the period 2023 – 2024, the autumn – winter season, the Tomato program will continue in an updated and improved form, as shown in a government decision formalized a few days ago by HG 846 / 2023. It is about the legislation of granting a de minimis aid to support the production of vegetables grown in protected areas for the off-season period, autumn/winter 2023/2024.
How the aid is granted, who are the beneficiaries
The financial support is a maximum of 1000 euros/1000 sqm/beneficiary, and all farmers in Romania can benefit from it. The money is intended to support the production of vegetables grown in protected areas, namely tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, green beans, lettuce, spinach and green onions.
Eligible beneficiaries can be:
- agricultural producers, natural persons who hold a certificate in this regard;
- agricultural producers authorized natural persons, individual enterprises and family enterprises;
- agricultural producers, legal entities.
In order to receive the money from the state, the beneficiaries must cumulatively meet the following eligibility criteria, according to avocatnet.ro:
- to use a cumulative area of protected spaces of at least 1,000 square meters, cultivated exclusively with one of the crops: tomatoes, bell peppers and/or long peppers and/or donuts, cucumbers, green beans, lettuce, spinach, green onions;
- to mark the cultivated surface, in a visible place, with an indicator plate, on which the inscription “Vegetable support program, period 2023-2024, beneficiary number …, Directorate for Agriculture of the County of …/ Bucharest Municipality” can be found, with the recommended minimum size of 50 cm/ 70 cm;
- to obtain the minimum productions corresponding to the vegetable culture, respectively:
- 3,000 kg/ 1,000 sq m – for tomato culture;
- 2,000 kg/ 1,000 sq m – for bell and/or long and/or donut pepper culture;
- 4,000 kg/ 1,000 sq m – for cucumber culture;
- 1,500 kg/ 1,000 sq m – for the culture of green beans;
- 10,000 plants/ 1,000 – sqm for salad culture;
- 1,000 kg/ 1,000 sq m – for spinach culture;
- 100,000 bulbs/ plants/ 1,000 sq m – for green onion culture;
- to be registered in the records of the Agricultural Register open to the municipalities to which the areas cultivated with vegetables belong;
- to hold the Register of evidence of treatments with plant protection products, approved by the county phytosanitary offices;
- to provide proof of obtaining the minimum production achieved, through supporting documents depending on the form of organization;
- to obtain vegetables that do not exceed the maximum applicable content of pesticide residues.
It is important to remember that there is a deadline for applying for aid from the moment the measures come into force, 20 days, until October 5, 2023. The application is to be submitted to the county agriculture directorates. In addition to the application, requests must be accompanied by the following documents:
- copy of the BI/CI of the applicant or of the legal representative if the application is submitted through a representative
- legal/ authorized;
- copy of the manufacturer’s certificate valid until December 31, 2024;
- power of attorney/notarial power of attorney and a copy of BI/CI of/of a representative, as the case may be;
- copy of the registration certificate at the National Office of the Trade Register/National Register of Associations and Foundations or of the act on the basis of which it carries out its activity;
- proof of active bank/treasury account;
- certificate, in original, from the Agricultural Register, according to the documents related to the year 2023, which certifies the surface of land with protected spaces used by the applicant based on any legal act that confers the right of use on the land in question.
The mentioned documents and the application can be sent to the county agricultural directorates by post, courier or electronic means.
