The implementation of the framework to support agricultural holdings that suffered damage to plant means of production from the fires of the months of July, August and September 2023 in areas of the country, especially in Evros, Rhodes and Thessaly, begins.

In the context of the special procedure of Law 4797/2021 for state aid, which provides the possibility of subsidizing agricultural holdings for damage to plant means of production due to a natural disaster, the granting of the advance payment to agricultural holdings for damage to plant means of production is proceeding, such as tree crops or vines, from the 2023 summer fires.

In particular, the Joint Ministerial Decision of the Minister of National Economy and Finance, the Minister of Rural Development and Food and the Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection (Government Gazette B’ 1891/26.03.2024) was published today, providing an advance payment of 50% of the state aid to farmers by their main occupation and farmers not by their main occupation, who suffered losses in plant means of production, such as olive trees or vines, from the fires of July, August and September 2023 in affected areas of the country.

Through the process of state aid, the total of the advances that will be paid to 905 beneficiaries by profession for the damage to olive trees and other tree crops amounts to 10.42 million euros and concerns tree crops (olive trees and other trees), vines and aromatic plants. In addition, the total of the advances that will be paid to 1,204 beneficiary non-professional farmers for the damage to olive trees and other tree crops amounts to 5.25 million euros. In total, within the next few days, 15.67 million euros will be paid through ELGA to more than 2,100 beneficiaries, whose plant capital was damaged by the fires of the summer of 2023.

Regarding the start of the implementation of the support framework for agricultural holdings for damages suffered to plant means of production from the fires of July, August and September 2023, the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Lefteris Avgenakis and the Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Christos Triandopoulos stated:

“Before even 8 months are up, 50% advances are being made for the damage to plant capital to those farmers affected by the 2023 fires. I note that in similar cases in the past it took three and four years for compensation to be paid through the PSEAs. Today, the government, showing confidence and accepting the loss declarations filed by the farmers, stands by them and pays 50% of the losses they suffered through State Aid. We support farmers and prove it with actions. No farmer should feel alone, in the face of all kinds of disasters, because we are constantly by his side,” said the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Lefteris Avgenakis.

For his part, the Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Christos Triandopoulos emphasized: “From 2021, we have chosen to integrate into the framework of state aid the grant of damage to plant capital after a natural disaster, in order to cover the large gaps and the limitations of the outdated state financial aid regime, the old PSEA. Back when the low compensation was paid after four and five years, without advance payment. That changed. The new hybrid scheme, through the cooperation of ELGA and the Directorate of State Aid, was also applied in the case of the fires of the summer of 2023. And after preliminary work by ELGA, the KYA was issued for the advance payment of 50% of the state aid for damage to plant capital, with a total amount of 15.7 million euros to more than 2,000 beneficiaries in various regions of Greece. In areas such as Evros, Rhodes, Magnesia, but also elsewhere. After the issuance of the KYA, the payment by ELGA has already been initiated in the next period”

In particular, the following amounts are to be paid per region:

(a) 261,109 euros to beneficiaries of the Region of Attica,

(b) 286,405 euros to beneficiaries of the Regional Unity of Achaia,

(c) 1,835,111 to beneficiaries of the Regional Unit of Boeotia,

(d) 7,383,468 euros to beneficiaries of the Regional Unity of Evros,

(e) 294,613 euros to beneficiaries of the Regional Unity of Evia,

(g) 99,041 euros to beneficiaries of the Regional Unity of Corfu,

(h) 21,438 euros to beneficiaries of the Regional Unity of Corinth,

(i) 3,068,100 euros to beneficiaries of the Regional Unit of Magnesia and Sporades,

(j) 394,109 euros to beneficiaries of the Rhodope Regional Unit, and

(k) 2,021,679 euros to beneficiaries of the Regional Unity of Rhodes.

It should be noted that the advance payment is equal to 50% of the final percentage of the eligible subsidy, which has been set at a maximum of 70% of the final assessment of the damage, which is the percentage of the subsidy paid to businesses affected by last summer’s fires in the context of state aid. Especially for non-occupational farmers the advance payment is half of the advance payment for occupational farmers.

“Thus, with the special procedure established in the context of state aid, with the cooperation of the Ministry of National Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, and, of course, ELGA, the government proceeds with the granting of a significant advance on the losses of tree crops, including olive crops, at times and heights that are far removed from what happened in the past,” said a joint statement by the ministries of National Economy & Finance, Rural Development & Food and Climate Crisis & Civil Protection. Thus, for farmers as their main occupation, the amount of the advance that will be granted within the next few days, amounts to 1,225 euros per hectare for vine and tree crops in a free planting pattern, to the amount of 1,750 euros per hectare for trees densely planted crops (palmettes) and at 700 euros per hectare for aromatic plants. According to the current process, the grant is for 70% of the initially estimated loss, which translates – at the end of the process – up to 3,500 euros per hectare for densely planted tree crops (palmets) damaged by the fire, depending with the severity of the damage. “The government, therefore, manages to respond to the needs of farmers in times less than what was done before taking over, and with amounts of compensation many times greater than those granted during the previous period,” the announcement emphasizes.

It is pointed out that when the process of individual checks by the levels of the ELGA in the agricultural holdings in question is completed, the final subsidy amounts to the agricultural holdings will be determined both for the main occupation farmers and for the non-main occupation farmers, which they will be launched after the restoration, as will be provided by the next KYA.