AFIR Publishes Applicant’s Guide for Funding Investments in the Vegetables and Potatoes Sector (DR-16)

To inform stakeholders about the process of applying for funding for investments in the vegetables and potatoes sector, the Agency for Financing Rural Investments (AFIR) has published the Applicant’s Guide for Intervention DR-16: Investments in the Vegetables and/or Potatoes Sector on its official website, www.afir.ro.

The funding is provided from the State Budget and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), implemented in Romania through the 2023–2027 Strategic Plan.

Final Version of the Guide – Coming Soon

In the upcoming period, following the final approval of the selection criteria for the potatoes component by the Monitoring Committee, the final version of the Applicant’s Guide for Intervention DR-16 will be issued and published, paving the way for the launch of the project submission session.

Available Funding and Grant Intensity

• Maximum funding: up to EUR 2,000,000 per project
• For projects proposing the purchase of machinery and agricultural equipment for crops other than potatoes: ➤ up to EUR 300,000 per project
• For potato-specific equipment acquired by individual farms, or agricultural equipment acquired by associative forms (cooperatives, producer groups, etc.), regardless of crop: ➤ up to EUR 700,000 per project

The public non-reimbursable support intensity is up to 65% of eligible costs per project.

Who Can Apply?

Eligible applicants under intervention DR-16 include:

• Farmers (excluding natural persons)
• Associative forms such as:
• Agricultural cooperatives
• Cooperative societies serving the interests of farmer members
• Recognized producer groups and organizations, as acknowledged by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

What Investments Are Eligible?

Under DR-16, farmers can receive funding for a wide range of eligible investments, including:

• Establishment and development of vegetable and potato farms
• On-farm processing units (only as a financially secondary component)
• Protected spaces (greenhouses, tunnels)
• Technical equipment for farms: specialized agricultural machinery, trailers, and semi-trailers

Additional eligible investments include:

• Construction and development of conditioning or storage facilities
• Purchase of early warning systems for adverse weather phenomena, as well as mitigation equipment
• Installation or modernization of on-farm irrigation systems, including on-farm water storage facilities (as a secondary project component)
• Purchase of monitoring, surveillance, and control systems for crops, spaces, and production flows
• Perimeter lighting and lighting for operational areas
• Weather stations, security cabins

Accessing the Applicant’s Guide