„Now lakes are floating in the fields of the Panevėžys district, – said Danguolė Kuzmienė, chairperson of the Panevėžys branch of the Lithuanian Farmers’ Union, at the end of February. – Due to worn-out melioration systems installed more than half a century ago, farmers lose part, and sometimes all, of their harvest.”
Critical state of land reclamation
As Violeta Važnevičienė, adviser of the Reclamation and Infrastructure Department of the Reclamation, Agricultural Land and Infrastructure Department of the Ministry of Agriculture (ŽŪM), points out, 54 percent of the land owned by the state. the level of wear and tear of melioration engineering structures reaches as much as 74.4 percent. continues to fall by 1 percent. every year. “Out of 2.5 million 2 million ha of agricultural land drained by drainage. ha drainage is in a critical state,” emphasizes the representative of the ministry.
According to her, the need for funds just to reconstruct the engineering structures of the melioration in bad condition has significantly exceeded one billion euros.
“Panevėžys district is one of the areas with the most drainage systems in Lithuania. Reclamation systems were installed in 115.5 thousand. ha of land area. And although the district has been receiving a lot of funds to maintain these facilities in recent years, only a small part of them has been renovated. We can reconstruct 180-200 km of ditches per year, and there are about 2 thousand of them in the area. km Due to worn-out melioration systems, farmers lose part of their harvest in rainy years, and in some places even the whole”, – describes the situation, Zita Bakanienė, head of the Agriculture Department of the Panevėžys district municipal administration.
11.2 million is planned for land reclamation. euros
ŽŪM, having assessed the critical condition of the melioration engineering structures, included their renewal in the 2023-2027 strategic plan (SP) of Lithuanian agriculture and rural development. The goal of the intervention measure “Investments in land reclamation systems” provided for in it is to reconstruct existing land reclamation systems, making it possible for farms to increase their productivity, to ensure sustainable protection of water from pollutants.
Applications for support under this intervention measure are accepted from March 1. until April 30
Supported activities and the funds allocated for them this year:
- introduction of regulated drainage into the existing reconstructed melioration systems (4 million EUR);
- reconstruction of existing melioration systems (EUR 7.2 million).
Possible applicants
“Panevėžys district municipality submitted an application for support under the intervention measure “Investments in reclamation systems” in the fall of last year. Although the financing agreement with the National Payment Agency has not yet been signed, but after counting the points, we believe that we will receive support. We will use these funds to renew the melioration systems in the cadastral areas of Jotainai, Mikėnai, Vadoklių. We hope to repair 19 km of ditches and two bridges. And we will apply through this call. We want to fix the reclamation systems of the cadastral area of Perekšliai and Sujeti. Farmers on whose land these projects are implemented do not need to contribute financially. For these projects, 65 percent the necessary funds are allocated from SP and 35 percent. – Contribution of Panevėžys district municipality. All the facilities are the property of the state, and the farmers working in those areas will receive direct benefits after their repair”, – notes Z. Bakanienė.
“I am a farmer in Biržai district. The fields are in a deplorable condition due to worn-out drainage systems. Having joined the association “Papilio melioracija” in the fall of 2023, we submitted an application for support under the intervention measure “Investments in melioration systems”. We hope that funding will be provided”, – the chairman of the association, Tomas Trečiokas, shares his expectations, presenting another group of applicants, and assures that there are no disagreements among farmers regarding this support, although the association will have to cover 35%. eligible expenses.
In addition to municipalities, melioration system user associations, applications for support under the intervention measure “Investments in melioration systems” can be submitted by entities engaged in agricultural activities and by natural and/or legal persons whose legally managed land boundaries coincide with the boundaries of a specific (reconstructed) melioration system , groups. All groups of applicants submit applications together with the municipality, and their partnership must be established by joint activity agreements.
Amount of support available
“In the application submitted last year, we indicated the maximum amount of support – 300 thousand. euros. We will ask for the same amount of support during this year’s call for applications,” says Z. Bakanienė, head of the Agriculture Department of the Panevėžys district municipal administration.
As indicated in the rules of support, up to 300 thousand. EUR support is provided to applicants intending to reconstruct existing melioration systems. The intensity of this support is 65 percent. of all eligible project costs.
For those who plan to introduce regulated drainage into the existing reconstructed melioration systems, the maximum possible amount of support for the project is up to 40 thousand. euros. According to this activity, 80 percent is financed. of all eligible project costs.
Suitable investments
For the implementation of reconstruction projects of existing melioration systems, eligible expenses are the reconstruction of melioration structures (except for irrigation systems), the purchase of new facilities and/or equipment for the purposes of the project.
For the implementation of projects for the introduction of regulated drainage into existing reconstructed melioration systems, the costs of installing new devices and/or equipment of regulated drainage systems into existing reconstructed melioration systems, the costs of installing environmental investments, as well as new devices and/or equipment intended for the purposes of the project are considered eligible investments. , purchase costs not exceeding the market value of the property.
Under both measures, general costs are supported. Their financed part can be no more than 8 percent. of all project costs eligible for financing, including consulting costs for project preparation and implementation, which cannot exceed 10 percent. total costs of the project.
for No. 2024/05
#Applications #accepted #support #upgrade #drainage #systems
– 2024-03-30 11:37:15
