Bulgarians Rush to Seek Funds from EU Rural Devt Program

State Agriculture Fund head Kalina Ilieva (right) has announced a boom of applicants for EU rural development aid. Photo by BGNES

The Bulgarian State Agriculture Fund has seen a boom of applications for EU funding under the Rural Development Program just a couple of weeks after the approval of the first projects.

A total of 86 applications under the program were submit in just a week after June 14, when the acceptance of new submissions was announced, said Kalina Ilieva, head of the Agriculture Fund, which administers the EU money for rural regions in Bulgaria.

The first 36 Bulgarian projects under the program were granted funding on June 1, 2010.

The greatest interest is directed towards “Measure 312: Support for the creation and development of micro enterprises“, which funds investments in rural tourism, small factories, renewable energy sources, land transport, guest houses.

A total of 48 of the 86 submitted project are seeking funds under Measure 312. There are 21 submissions under “Measure 311: Diversification to non-agricultural activities” but here only agricultural producers are eligible to apply.

Several Bulgarian municipalities and regional forestry agencies have submitted projects under “Measure 226: Restoration of Forest Potential and Introduction of Preventive Activities.”

Only four new projects are seeking money under “Measure 123: Adding value to agricultural and forestry products”, which funds new factories, and there are two under “Measure 121: Modernization of agricultural farms."

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