The Ministry of Water, Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries has brought forward the deadline for applying for aid payments to young farmers, reducing the period between the submission of the two payment applications (in installments) required by aid recipients from one year to nine months.
The Official Gazette of the Region of Murcia (BORM) yesterday published a modification to the Order of November 26, 2015, which establishes the regulatory bases, in addition to approving the call for aid for the creation of agricultural companies by young farmers and for investment in their farms.
Therefore, once the business plan has been fully implemented, the application for payment of the second tranche, which represents 76 percent of the total aid, can be submitted if at least nine months have passed since the application for payment of the first tranche, which corresponds to 24 percent of the aid already paid in 2016.
In any case, the application deadline for each tranche remains October 1 of the corresponding year, as established in the award order for each beneficiary. Young people who opted for the 2017 payment as their first year may apply for the grant at any time, provided they have completed and substantiated the actions granted.
Aid for the creation of agricultural businesses was granted in 2016 to a total of 499 young people, for a total of €18,779,000. A further €14,894,844 was awarded to 409 of the above young people for investment in their farms, with aid amounting to 60 percent of the investment, and reaching 80 percent in mountain areas.
The business start-up grant is divided into two payments, to be chosen from the 2016-2019 period, and a payment for investment assistance in the business, also to be chosen during the same period.
In 2016, 3,139,320 euros were paid in aid to 385 young people for the creation of agricultural businesses, and 2,442,237 euros were paid in aid to 81 farm investment projects.
This year, 261 applications are scheduled for payment to those who chose the second annual payment in 2017, as well as to 83 who chose 2017 as their first annual payment, for a total of €7,956,800.
Regarding investment aid for farms, payments are planned for 64 young farmers, totaling €2,982,065.