Within the program covering the period 2021-2027. 288 million euros will be available from the European budget, and 90 million from the national budget. Together with the contribution of users, as much as 580 million euros can be invested in the agriculture of Serbia and its rural areas.
The new IPARD program will especially benefit farmers who will apply practices beneficial to the environment. Support for such production will be provided within the framework of Measure 4 IPARD – Agro-ecological-climatic measures and measures of organic production.
When a measure intended for this type of production is accredited within the IPARD III program, farmers will have the opportunity to apply for support amounting to up to 436 euros per hectare per year.
The agroecological-climatic measure and organic production (Measure 4) will be the most similar measure of direct payments. Five operations are proposed within this measure, on arable land, in perennial crops and on meadows, the program accredits the measure intended for this type of production, farmers will have the opportunity to apply for support amounting to up to 436 euros per hectare per year. and pastures.
The operations that will be encouraged are the following:
– Crop rotation on arable land
– Mechanical removal of weeds in perennial crops
– Weeding the inter-row space in perennial plantings
– Establishment and maintenance of flower strips on arable land
– Sustainable management of meadows and pastures through extensive grazing
The support is in the form of an annual payment per unit area, that is per hectare.
The objective of Measure 4 is to encourage agricultural practices that are beneficial to the environment by conserving and improving natural resources and mitigating the negative effects of agriculture on soil, water and air.
In order for farmers to receive this support from the IPARD fund, it will be necessary to sign a contract for at least 5 years on the implementation of accepted obligations for a specific operation. User education will be mandatory before the implementation of the accepted obligations and another one by the end of the third year of implementation. Farmers will have to comply with the relevant national standards and obligations specified in each operation. Also, they will have to keep records on the farm that contain information on all agricultural activities that are relevant to the obligation.
In general, incentives will be available only to registered agricultural holdings that voluntarily accept the obligation to implement practices beneficial to the environment (by conserving and improving natural resources and mitigating the negative effects of agriculture on soil, water and air).