De minimis aid for 'Tomato' program and support of garlic producers, approved by the Government

The government has approved on Wednesday the continuation of the de minimis aid schemes for the "Tomato" program and for the one aimed at the support granted to garlic producers, declared Secretary of State Sorin Moise with the Ministry of Agriculture, Agerpres reports.

"Today, in the government meeting, several government decisions of wide interest for Romanian farmers were approved. The first is that of supporting the production of tomatoes and vegetables in protected areas, it is a program generically called 'Tomato', it continues, it was also in the last years. It has a budget allocation of RON 225 million.The program is divided into two production cycles, and tomatoes can be grown in both cycles. The total support amounts to 4,000 euros per beneficiary, for tomato productions cultivated between March 1 - June 10 for cycle 1 and October 15 - December 9 for cycle 2. As regards the minimum production required, they must be at least 3,000 kilograms per 1,000 square meters," Sorin Moise told a press conference at Victoria Palace of Government.

For the rest of the vegetables grown in the 2nd production cycle, namely bell peppers, capsicum peppers, cucumbers, string beans, lettuce, spinach and green onions, the amount of support is 1,000 euros per beneficiary, he added.

"It is granted for the productions cultivated between October 15 and December 9, the minimum required being for 1,000 square meters: 4,000 kilograms of cucumbers, bell peppers and capsicum - 2,000 kilograms, string beans - 1,500 kilograms, spinach - 1,000 kilograms, salad - 15,000 plants and green onions - 100,000 bulbs," said Moise.

The second government decision approved on Wednesday, he continued, refers to the support of garlic cultivation, with a budget allocation for 2022 of RON 22.2 million.

"The value of the support per beneficiary is 3,000 euros per crop, per hectare, per beneficiary. It is granted for productions cultivated between June 1 and December 21. The minimum required production must be 3 kilograms of garlic per 10 square meters," Secretary of State Moise explained.