The European Union project EU4AGRI announced a public call to support investments in primary agricultural production in BiH with the aim of achieving sustainable agriculture, controlled use of natural resources and introduction of good practices, and creating new and preserving existing jobs.

This public call is the third in a row published through the EU4AGRI project in order to support rural development, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery from the crisis caused by it.

The public call is open to natural persons, crafts / entrepreneurs, cooperatives and companies that are actively engaged in primary agricultural production in the sectors: milk production; meat production; growing cereals and oilseeds; fruit growing including viticulture and olives; vegetable growing (vegetable growing) and egg production. Applicants may submit applications only independently.

Objectives

• Contribution to the stabilization / strengthening of production competitiveness and increase of productivity levels of primary agricultural production through modernization and introduction of new technologies, innovations and creation of added value of agricultural products;
• Improving product quality, hygiene and food safety through the introduction of quality standards;
• Promoting good business practices (agricultural, occupational safety, etc.) and sustainable development by improving natural resource management, environmental protection, worker protection and food safety;
• Contribution to mitigation of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, reliable supply of raw materials and domestic consumers with fresh products, and use of new business opportunities to position domestic and access new markets in BiH, the environment, the EU and the world.

Funding Information

• The total available funds for support of investments in primary production amount to 3.5 million KM.
• Grants per one application can amount from 30,000 KM to a maximum of 200,000 KM (excluding VAT).

Eligible Agricultural Sectors

To support investments in primary agricultural production, all projects that relate exclusively to the following agricultural sectors are eligible:

• milk production;
• meat production;
• growing cereals and oilseeds;
• fruit growing including viticulture and olives;
• vegetable growing (vegetable growing);
• egg production.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible applicants for grants under the primary production support measure may be natural persons, crafts / entrepreneurs, cooperatives and enterprises actively engaged in primary agricultural production in the sectors described in eligible agricultural sectors.
• Applicants may submit applications for projects defined in this public call only independently. Applications from more than one applicant will not be considered.
• Applicants may submit only one application to this public call.
• Applicants are responsible for the implementation of the project including financial obligations.
• The same applicants can be supported through the EU4AGRIproject only once through the same support measure and up to a maximum of 3 times taking into account all public calls that will be published during the project (from 2020 to 2024).
• The EU4AGRI project will not grant support to applicants who:
  • provided untrue and inaccurate information and supporting documentation;
  • are in the process of pre-bankruptcy settlement or liquidation;
  • are not registered in BiH;
  • have not fulfilled the obligations related to the payment of due taxes and contributions for pension and health insurance in accordance with the legal provisions (applicants who have concluded a contract with the tax authorities in BiH on debt servicing will not be considered);
  • have not settled all obligations to their employees on any grounds;
  • have been convicted of an offense concerning their professional conduct by a judgment which has the force of res judicata;
  • in the past 3 years, they have unfulfilled obligations for the awarded incentive measures of the entity ministries, ie relevant institutions of the Brcko District (BD);
  • have not completed the implementation of investments of previously approved projects financed through the EU4AGRI and EU4Business projects;
  • have in the ownership structure the share of public capital or voting rights of that public capital in the amount of more than 25%;
  • have been the subject of a final judgment for fraud.

For more information, visit European Union.