Bulgaria's Govt Approved Revised 2014-2020 Rural Development Program worth EUR 2.9 B

The Bulgarian government has approved a revised version of the Rural Development Program 2014-2020 envisaging a total budget of over EUR 2.9 B, including a total of EUR 2.3 B to be provided by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

The budget of the 2014-2020 Rural Development Program is to be allocated to 18 measures.

Te European Commission is to approve the final version of the program by mid-2015 but applicants will be able to submit documents under some measures as early as March 2015, according to the press office of the Agriculture Ministry.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Vasil Grudev, as cited by dnevnik.bg, noted that the total budget of the program had been downsized by 10.4% compared to the previous programming period but the projected investment had increased from a rate of EUR 720 M in the 2007-2013 period to EUR 776 M in the current period.

Agriculture Minister Desislava Taneva announced that a sum of over EUR 1 B had been allocated to the business sector in a bid to boost the competitiveness of Bulgaria's agriculture.

Taneva informed that the funding earmarked for organic farming had increased from a level of EUR 32 M in the 2007-2013 programming period to EUR 152 M in the 2014-2020 programming period.

She said that the sectors of "Fruit and Vegetable" and "Livestock Farming" would receive priority treatment.

Taneva told journalists that a measure envisaging support for organic livestock farming would be launched for the first time, as well as a sub-measure providing for aid for small farms.

Bulgaria's Agriculture Minister pointed out that traditional plant varieties such as the Bulgarian Rosa Damascena and lavender would be supported under the program.

She said that support...