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With the rapid increase in the area declared for cultivated vegetables, the National Payment Agency (NPA) has put applicants for joint aid for open field vegetables (pumpkins, radishes, dill) at risk and has carried out controls on the ground. Irregularities were found in most of the areas inspected.
“The most common infractions are non-compliance, often stating that they are growing vegetables, and in fact it is simply a matter of mimicking: planting a minimal area or not planting it at all, abandoning weeds and seeking matching support payments for them,” says the Sustainable Agricultural Production of the Ministry of Agriculture. Tadas Švilpauskas, Senior Advisor to the Policy Group.
This year, the NMA inspected more than a thousand. ha (86.4% of the total area declared for coupled aid for pumpkins, dill, radish) areas for pumpkin, radish and dill declared by 483 coupled aid applicants for vegetables declared in the open field.
In half of the inspected farms where pumpkins were declared, the area of irregularities was greater than 178 ha (27.2% of the total declared area of coupled support for pumpkins).
Irregularities have also been detected in declared dill fields, with up to half of the farms inspected. The area of irregularities is approximately 216 ha (73.8% of the total declared area of coupled support for dill).
Even more irregularities were found on farms where radishes were declared edible. Up to 82% of the farms inspected. Irregularities were found, the area of violations amounts to 248 ha (83.1% of the total declared area of attached support for edible radishes).
The NMA has tentatively estimated that applicants whose vegetables were found in the declared fields will lose about 177,000. Eur bracket attached. Depending on the scale of the irregularities, there are several ways to prevent ineligible areas from being declared in the future.
“The inspections revealed important discrepancies between what was declared and reality. Both the Ministry and the NPA will take all possible measures that can help prevent potential violations, which will help pay higher payments to real farmers, ”says senior advisor T. Švilpauskas.
One way to combat simulated farmers is to require applicants to submit photos of declared fields using the NMA agro mobile app before harvesting vegetables.
Possible changes in the legislation are also being considered and the following options are proposed: no payment for declared areas of the mentioned vegetables in general; differentiate the support according to the year of cultivation; pay the upkeep of a limited area (similar to stubble fields declared during winter); to request proof of sale of products.
After a detailed analysis of possible changes in the legislation, the final decisions would take effect next year.
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