Loading ...An expert team of the European Commission is carrying out an audit mission into the activities of the Agriculture Payments and Interventions Agency (APIA), throughout January 31, the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reports.
The aim of the mission is to test the operation of the APIA system and assess progress in the payments from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund.
APIA is expected to report to the European Commission by January 31 the total area eligible for payments so that a reduction coefficient may be worked out for computing and authorising payments.
The total area eligible for EAGF payments is 8.6 million hectares, but the area so far registered for payments is by 1 million hectare larger. According to the APIA management, the most likely date for the beginning of per area payments to Romanian farmers will be February 15, and the action is expected to take three months to complete, at the longest.
APIA will also start off in late February an information campaign for the submission of 2008 payment requests. The submission campaign is scheduled to start on March 1, 2008.
The European Commission is expected to earmark 443 million euros at current prices for direct payments to Romanian farmers, which is similar to the amount in 2007. The allocations would then increase to 533 million euros in 2009, to 624 million euros in 2010, to 713 million euros in 2011, to 891 million euros in 2012 and to 1.069 billion euro in 2013.
Romania is to receive over 12 billion euros in agricultural and rural development funds, 2007-2013, 4.2 billion of which for direct payments and 8 billion for rural development.
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