Almost 26 thousand applications received for programs encouraging environmentally sustainable farming

By: STA Date: 2025. 01. 17. 11:00

There was great interest in the programs supporting agri-environmental management and organic farming. A total of almost 26 thousand applications were received for the two calls, which together affect an area of about two million hectares. The application period for the new five-year programs aimed at environmental sustainability and implemented with European Union co-financing in the current agricultural support cycle of the Common Agricultural Policy closed at the end of last year.

(Photo: Pixabay)

Summarizing the data, 19,846 applications were received for the Agri-environmental Management Payments Call for Applications (KAP-RD19a-1-24) for 1,611,100 hectares, while 5,799 applications were submitted for the call supporting organic farming (KAP-RD20-1-24), related to 350,756 hectares.

The requests received exceed the area size of the previous support schemes announced under the Rural Development Programme

There, around 17 thousand farmers participated in the Agri-Environmental Management Programme with approximately 1.2 million hectares of cropland, while within the framework of the calls supporting organic farming, around 5,500 farmers were able to submit payment applications each year, and beneficiaries were able to apply for support for almost 275 thousand hectares. Of the annual payments related to the newly announced five-year support programmes, the first two years can be financed from the financial framework of the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan for 2023-2027, while the financing of the other three years will be postponed to the next cycle of the CAP.

The processing of submitted support applications has begun

In the case of Agri-Environmental Management Payments, farmers could choose from ten different thematic groups of requirements, and in the case of organic farming, they could submit an application within the framework of the arable land, grassland and plantation land use categories. Since there is significant professional interest in learning about farmers’ needs, the Ministry of Agriculture presents in the table below how much area producers wish to join in the case of each thematic group of requirements in relation to AKG, and in the case of organic farming support in relation to each land use category.