From October 24 to November 4, 2024, farmers included in the Register of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (MAF) for the issued protocols for establishing damage caused by fire in 2024 can apply for “de minimis” aid for compensation for damages. They can submit applications for support to the Regional Directorates of the State Fund “Agriculture” (DFZ) in person or through an authorized person, the Fund states.
The destroyed areas and animals of the farmers must fall or have been grown in the regions or municipalities for which a state of emergency/emergency has been declared, according to the orders of the regional governor or mayor of the settlement.
Farmers with burnt permanently grassed areas are supported on the condition that, on the date of the event, they have:
– animal breeding facility, with identified animals and/or a reflected number of bee colonies in it, entered into the system of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BASHA) for identification and registration of animals;
– a beekeeping facility with the reflected number of bee colonies as of the date of the event.
The approved financial resource for the aid is in the amount of BGN 1,922,000. The deadline for disbursing the funds is November 25, 2024.
The approved unit rates for the aid are: BGN 8,763/ha for permanent crops (fruit, vineyards); BGN 1,231/ha for other perennials (rosehip, lavender, rose hip, salvia); BGN 2,864/ha for nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts); BGN 1,900/ha for field crops (wheat, triticale, corn, barley, sunflower); BGN 214/ha for pastures and meadows; BGN 256/ha for meadows; BGN 191/pc. for bee families; BGN 174/pc. for beehives; BGN 324/pc. for ewes.
The maximum amount of “de minimis” aid for one farmer or the same enterprise cannot exceed the BGN equivalent of EUR 25,000 (BGN 48,895.75) for a period of three consecutive budget years (2022 – 2024). .
The instructions for the aid are published on the official website of the DF “Agriculture”.
Based on the findings made by the expert commissions and the issued protocols and after summarizing the data, 168 farmers for 3,387.62 ha with affected areas/crops and 16 farmers with 858 bee colonies, 10 mother sheep and 718 beehives.
To date, BGN 258,639 in “de minimis” benefits have been paid to farmers who suffered from the fires this summer, writes BTA.
According to the relevant ministry, more than 8,093.22 hectares of agricultural land were burned this year in the country.