APIA has disbursed over 1 billion Euros in payments

The Agency for Agricultural Payments and Interventions (APIA) disbursed around EUR 4.9 billion, between January and October 2009, from European funds and the state budget, in agriculture aids. According to a press release sent to our editors, APIA paid 4,130,928,047.62 lei (1,106,315,791.38 Euros) during that period, under the per surface support program. Out of this amount, APIA paid 3,874,110,748.33 lei (1,035,498,556.17 Euros), using FEGA, FEADR and state budget funds, to 1,078,722 farmers that submitted applications during the SAPS 2008 campaign.

During the January-October 2009 period, APIA also paid the amount of 160,297,146.34 lei (EUR 47,934,316.07), representing financial support for less favored areas under the SAPS 2007 campaign, as well as the amounts pertaining to the requests accepted following the submitted petitions.

Also under the schemes for payment according to the farming surfaces, of October 16th, 2009, APIA began the disbursement of a 70% downpayment to farmers who applied under the payment per farming surface program SAPS 2009. So far APIA paid 96,520,152.95 lei (22,882,919.14 Euros), from FEGA funds, to 100,036 farmers.

Also, for the 2008-2009 period. APIA paid around 70 million Euros from European sources and around 4.2 million lei, co-financed from the state budget, for market support measures. As part of the National Wine-Making Program, APIA paid 42.1 million Euros from European funds, and 1 million Euros under the National Beekeeping program, with an additional contribution of 3.5 million lei from Romanian funds.

APIA also paid 2.5 million Euros under the program for supplying schools with milk, and 28 million Euros for less favored individuals. APIA also disbursed 627 million lei from the state budget in state aids for livestock breeding, vegetable growing and neutralization of animal waste products.