Help for farmers. Up to PLN 3,000 per hectare

This concerns the amendment of the regulation of the Council of Ministers of 27 January 2015 on the detailed scope and methods of implementing certain tasks of the Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture. The proposed amendment aims to introduce provisions regulating the general conditions for granting aid to an agricultural producer whose farm suffered damage to crops caused by hail, heavy rain, spring frost and hurricane in 2024 within the meaning of the provisions on insurance of agricultural crops and farm animals, and to extend the deadline for submitting applications for aid for rural women's associations from 20 September this year to 20 November this year. As we read in the justification for the project published on the website of the Government Legislation Centre, this year our country has experienced violent climatic phenomena that destroyed agricultural crops, depriving agricultural producers of their means of subsistence. According to data from voivodes, damage of at least 30% of crops was recorded on an area of ​​almost 150 thousand hectares. ha (excluding damage caused by spring frosts and May hail in fruit crops). It is estimated that the aid will amount to approximately PLN 200 million.

Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has prepared a change in the regulations allowing for the provision of aid to affected agricultural producers. Farmers will be able to apply for support if their farms suffered damage to crops caused by hail, heavy rain, spring frosts and a hurricane in 2024, and the losses estimated by the commission amount to more than 30% of the average annual crop production. However, the aid will not be available to agricultural producers who have already received support for the fruit and vegetable sector and the wine sector due to unfavourable climatic phenomena. According to the proposed regulations, the aid will be granted by decision of the head of the district office of the Agricultural Restructuring and Modernisation Agency competent for the place of residence, upon the application of the agricultural producer submitted on the form made available by the Agency on its website by 15 November this year. The farmer will have to attach to the application a copy of the damage assessment protocol and a copy of the insurance policy confirming the conclusion of an insurance contract for agricultural crops.

According to the proposed regulations, the amount of aid will be determined as the product of the area of ​​crops on which damage occurred and the aid rate, which will vary depending on the amount of damage and will range from PLN 1,000 to PLN 3,000. The amount of aid cannot exceed 80% of the amount of reduction in income from agricultural production or 90% of the amount of reduction in income from agricultural production – for farms located in areas with natural constraints. Moreover, in accordance with the EC regulations governing public aid, the aid will be reduced by 50% if the agricultural producer does not have insurance for at least half of the area of ​​crops on the farm. The aid is to be financed from the funds of the special-purpose reserve of the Guarantee Fund in Agriculture.