Slovakia to Fund Old Projects to Keep EU Money

Bratislava – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MPRV) of Slovakia has announced a new initiative to bolster the agricultural sector by providing additional funding for older project calls, specifically numbers 52 and 65. Minister of Agriculture Richard Takáč revealed this decision during a meeting with representatives from the agro sector, emphasizing the need to prevent the forfeiture of EU funds due to low absorption rates in recent years. Takáč outlined that the additional funding for call number 65 will amount to approximately 78 million euros, aimed at supporting more viable agricultural projects. Furthermore, a new technical call focused on special animal and plant production will be introduced in September, with an allocation of 50 million euros. The minister clarified that this will be a "catalog call," designed to streamline the funding process for specific agricultural initiatives. The minister expressed concern over the historical underfunding of agriculture in Slovakia, which has led to diminished competitiveness within the sector. He noted that in recent years, the absorption of EU funds has been alarmingly low, with only 45 million euros utilized in 2021, 39 million in 2022, and 64 million in 2023. Takáč highlighted that out of 14,000 farmers in Slovakia, a mere 64 primary producers received support, and only 11 in the food sector, attributing the lack of funding to systemic issues rather than farmer negligence. The MPRV aims to reverse this trend and provide meaningful support to farmers engaged in specialized production, ensuring that the agricultural sector can thrive and effectively utilize available EU resources.