The Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture (APIA) informs potential beneficiaries that until June 26, 2024, inclusive, Payment Requests for the year 2024 are submitted, related to session 3/2020, the 5th commitment year, and session 4/2021, the 4th commitment year for the state aid scheme "Silvomediu Services, Climatic Services, and Forest Conservation", related to Measure 15 "Silvomediu Commitment Payments", within the National Rural Development Program 2014 – 2020.

To grant support under the state aid scheme "Silvomediu Services, Climatic Services, and Forest Conservation", the applicant submits a payment request - according to Annex 1 of the Order of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development no. 145/16.04.2024 approving the standard form of the payment request and completion instructions, for the year 2024.

The payment request is submitted online, in the M15 electronic application (on the APIA website via Internet Explorer), printed, signed, and submitted/transmitted together with the relevant documents to the APIA County Directorate or the Bucharest Municipality Center of APIA. In exceptional cases, the payment request can be submitted only on paper together with the relevant documents.

The payment request is completed by beneficiaries according to the completion instructions provided in Annex 2 to the Order of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development no. 145/2024.

Payment request modifications are submitted to APIA by July 11, 2024, inclusive.

Financial support under the state aid scheme is granted annually, as a fixed amount per unit of area (hectare), to owners (including Administrative-Territorial Units) of forests from the national forest fund, based on a 5-year commitment and aims to compensate for income losses and additional costs incurred by the beneficiary as a result of implementing one or both packages of the state aid scheme:

Package 1 - Ensuring quiet zones, for which the beneficiary receives 38 euros/year/ha for the entire area included in the commitment.

Package 2 - Using teams for collecting wood from thinnings, for which the beneficiary receives 137 euros/year/ha for the annual area for which support is requested under Package 2 (this package can only be accessed together with Package 1).

The intensity of public, non-refundable support granted under the state aid scheme is 100%.

For areas larger than 500 ha, financial support degressivity is applied, so the level of payments will be adjusted.

Detailed information for accessing the state aid scheme can be consulted at APIA Centers and on the APIA website www.apia.org.ro.

APIA, always by the side of farmers! (Photo: Freepik)