Food sector restructuring and rural development plan gets OK from EU

The European Commission yesterday approved the ‘Restructuring and Modernization of the Food Sector and Development of Rural Areas’ program aimed at helping domestic farmers. This means that they will receive as much as zł.5.39 billion (EUR 1.19 billion), out of which zł.591 million will have to be coughed up from state coffers. Farmers will now be able to finance investments that enhance the competitiveness and profitability of production, as well as to align their products with EU standards. The program is set to begin on August 2, but it is predicted it will only operate in full by the end of the year. According to the Agriculture Ministry, farmers will be able to submit their applications from August 16, explaining away the delay as a result of it having to deal with applications for SAPARD subsidies, which it must process before it can it turn its attention to the new program. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 17; Parkiet, p. 8) D.W.