Agriculture, Covid-19, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Financial Services, Markets and Companies

The size of the measure is approximately 1.5 million euros.

According to Minister of Rural Affairs Arvo Aller, the measure is meant to alleviate the liquidity problems that companies active on foreign markets are experiencing due to the coronavirus crisis. "The goal is to maintain, with the extraordinary support, the companies' ability to sell and their competitiveness," the minister said in a press release. 

The amendments to the Rural Development Plan still require the approval of the European Commission. "We hope to receive it as soon as possible, in order for us to be able to go to the aid of food sector businesses as quickly as possible and to start accepting applications for the support already this year," Aller said.   

The amendments would also ease economic viability criteria in qualification for the setting-up support to young farmers and aid for the development of small farms, in order to enable business operators to implement their business plan more flexibly than has been the case to date. 

The measure for the diversification of economic activities can be used in the future also for the acquisition of machinery and equipment not permanently installed. That will enable business operators in rural areas to diversify their offering of services.

The measure to restore agricultural potential will be made more favorable of the applicant and the evaluation and ranking of applications will be foregone in the future. That will allow to keep the call for proposals open round the year and it will be possible for agricultural producers to start restoring their production potential as soon as necessary.

The amendments to the Rural Development Plan 2014-2020 were initiated by the Ministry of Rural Affairs, following a discussion by the Rural Development Plan's monitoring committee, which brings together sectoral organizations and representatives of ministries.