About 460m lei will be invested in agriculture in 2013

A sum of about 460 million lei will be provided this year as financial support to agriculture, by 60 million lei more than last year, Info-Prim Neo reports. In a news conference, Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov said that 60 million lei will be allocated from the funds of the European Commission. For the first time this year, there will be financed three new subsidization measures: the farmers will receive financial assistance for consolidating the farmland, for cutting the old vines and orchard trees, and for the costs incurred for pumping water and for irrigation. Also for the first time this year, the farmers aged between 18 and 30 will benefit from a bonus of 10% to the subsidies provided by the state. According to the minister, the young people working in agriculture will be supported financially more and more. More money will be invested in the animal-breeding sector. The agriculture subsidization regulations for 2013 are to be approved within two weeks. In 2012 the farmers received subsidies of 400 million lei. About 165 million lei of the total subsidies was allocated for buying agricultural machines and equipment.