The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights Anton Refalo announced how in one year, the Agricultural and Rural Payments Agency, ARPA, processed payments amounting to a total of almost €48 million. This is through various schemes that it administers, both those aids financed or co-financed by European funds, as well as those paid in full by national funds.
Minister Refalo explained how calls were also issued this year under various measures that are related to training, advice and quality schemes. A total of almost €26 million was processed under investment measures, together with another €3.5 million under environmental-climatic schemes, co-financed by European and national funds.
Among the three major schemes, there is that of the purchase of fertilizer, with an investment of €4 million, the compensation for the increase in the prices of feed for livestock, where payments were made amounting to €1.3 million which also come from national funds.
Apart from these mentioned national schemes, the implementation of other schemes that came out in the previous years also continued, among them, the scheme of distribution of fruit and vegetables inside the schools from national funds where they were processed payments of approximately €850,000 during 2024, a Welfare Scheme in the Pig Sector where payments of approximately €840,000 were processed in 2024, and a Scheme for the access for young farmers to the agricultural practice in the holdings of established farmers. Apart from all this, next year the Government will launch a national agriforestry scheme which will involve a direct grant of up to a maximum of €8,000 for each eligible farmer, with a total budget of €600,000 from national funds.
Minister Anton Refalo said, “These are some of the many that this Ministry is doing in favor of our farmers and villagers. We want this area to continue to be given importance in the work of the Government. The farmers and the villagers do not easy work, they have challenges against the elements, resources and others coming from the international scene and therefore as a Government we are and will continue to do everything for them to continue with their work and finally from -at last it tunes us to fresh and healthy local food.”
Photo: MAFA
