IPARD II is a special instrument for support in the field of rural development from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance II. From this instrument, the Republic of Serbia can count on the investment support in the amount of EUR 175 million for the period from 2014 to 2020.
By signing the Framework Agreement between the Republic of Serbia and the European Commission on the Arrangements for the Implementation of Union Financial Assistance to the Republic of Serbia Under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA II) and the Sectoral Agreement on the Provisions for Management and Implementation of Union Financial Assistance to the Republic of Serbia Under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance in the Policy Area ‘Agriculture and Rural Development” (IPARD), the legal requirements for providing support in the field of rural development have been created.
This support shall be directed towards the implementation of the IPARD II programme approved by the EU and adopted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia. The responsibility for managing this programme and its implementation is borne by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and the Directorate for Agrarian Payments. The aid is intended for direct beneficiaries, i.e. for agricultural producers - legal and natural persons. This programme represents the preparation for the use of funds from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
The first public call for acquiring support from the IPARD Fund was announced on 25 December 2017, within the scope of M1 measure: Investments in the physical assets of agricultural holdings - procurement of new machinery and equipment. The incentive rate is between 60% and 80%, depending on whether the applicant is a young farmer, whether the farm is located in the mountainous area and whether the investment relates to waste and waste water management. The sectors of milk, meat, fruits, vegetable and other crops (certain types of cereals and industrial plants) production have been included. The amount of incentives a user can generate in the production of fruits, vegetables and other crops can range from EUR 5,000 to EUR 700,000, while milk and meat producers can get between EUR 5,000 and EUR 1,000,000.
By obtaining accreditation for the IPARD programme, in addition to the above mentioned measure, the following measures, i.e investments within the IPARD II programme will be supported:
- Processing and marketing of agricultural and fishery products;
- Agro-ecological, agro-climatic and organic production;
- Implementing local development strategies - LEADER approach;
- Diversification of agricultural holdings and business development; and
- Technical assistance.
You can find more information about this instrument on the following links:
http://uap.gov.rs/ipard-ii-u-srbiji/
https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/enlargement/assistance/ipard_en