Its implementation is progressing rapidly Rural Development Program (PAA), as according to data from the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, the timetables and all the goals that have been set are largely being met. And this, in an environment of great challenges and difficulties that arose in the previous years, such as the coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine, inflation and the climate crisis, among others.

Speaking to the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency, Mr. of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, Dimitris Papagiannidis he pointed out “we managed to successfully respond to the objectives of new invitations and absorptions in terms of the RDP, despite the extremely difficult conditions and events that intervened in all the previous years, from the pandemic and the economic crisis to the Ukrainian crisis and the miracles due to the climate crisis, conditions which significantly affected both the smooth operation of the Services involved in its implementation, as well as the response of the beneficiaries to the implementation of the projects”.

For the sake of truth, according to data from the HYPAAT, the projects included in the PAA amount to 130%while the absorption of its resources reached 98%. These should not include the resources of the transition period, which reach the 2 billion euro in addition for payment completion by the end of 2025 based on the n+3 rule.

The 2022 annual payments for the RDP reached 1.2 billion euro while according to information, the payments for the years 2023 and 2024 were just as high, even though there were restrictions on the flow of funding of the Public Investment Program (PIP), of the order of 900 million. euro.

As mentioned by Mr. Papagiannidis with these performances the PAA “He exceeded his goal ESPA for all the years of its application, contributing from the largest amounts of resource absorption to the PDE, while the same is expected to happen this year (2024)” adding that “it exceeded the obligations of the n+3 rule for all the years of its application, the that is, the payment target set by the EU”.

What is the cause of this trend?

According to data from the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, there were four reasons which contributed to the smooth and good course of implementation of the Rural Development Program.

Specifically:

1) The implementation of the largest financial programs with EU resources. but also the effective utilization of overcommitment possibilities with an emphasis on investment and development measures of the RDP.

Among them are the Young Farmers program, with funding of 600 million. euros, of Organic Agriculture/Livestock and beekeeping with over 700 million. euros, of the LEADER Local Programs, in which total resources of more than 600 million were allocated for the first time. euros for private and public investments and the Improvement Plans, where in the last call more than 300 million were allocated. euro.

2) The design and implementation of an integrated plan of interventions to support producers in the areas affected by the recent natural disasters.

In more detail, the remaining available resources of the RDP 2014-2020 were channeled into actions such as Measure 5.2, (budget 45 million euros), the two denitrification programs (200 million euros) and the inclusion of all runners-up in the Improvement Plans of the year 2023 invitation for the regions of Thessaly, Evros, B. Fthiotida, Rhodes and North Evia but also in the additional over-commitments in the Local LEADER Programs of the affected areas for the inclusion and implementation of private and public investments of significant development contribution to the local economy.

3) New calls and pre-publications of programs that emphasize quality, innovation, collaboration and new technologies have gone ahead.

In animal welfare, with a call issued, resources of 28 million were allocated. euros, while 41 million euros were allocated to programs to improve the quality of agricultural production and, in particular, to increase the added value of strategic priority products, such as cotton. euros in the relevant invitation. For the compensatory compensation paid in December, the resources amounted to 235 million. euros and in forestry measures 38.5 million euro. Finally, money was given to programs for cooperation – collective organization and the free advisory support of producers, their training and education.

4) Finally, the scope of application of the RDP financial tools was accelerated and expanded to support investments in the primary and secondary sectors of the economy and facilitate producers’ access to liquidity.

This was done through the expanded participation of the financial sector in the Rural Development Guarantee Fund for the granting of guarantees for the receipt of investment loans and working capital by producers and processors, the additional financing of the Small Agricultural Entrepreneurship Loan Fund (Microcredit Fund) and with a contribution of 61, 5 million euros from the RDP for the provision of loans of up to 25,000 euros to farmers and processors for making investments but also for working capital and finally from the expansion of the “Additional Operations” mechanism, to facilitate the conclusion of loan agreements for the implementation of RDP investment plans concerning the improvement plans, the anti-hail protection and the Damage Restoration Measure in the areas affected by the natural disasters.