First 2023 call for applications of Agri-Food PERTE
On 29 December, the BOE (Official State Gazette) published the 2023 call for applications for aid for industrial strengthening actions under the PERTE Agroalimentario, with 510 million euros to be granted in the form of subsidies, loans or a combination of both.
The application period for this aid will be available between 23 January and 28 February 2023.
The 2023 call for applications for aid for industrial strengthening actions within the Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE) in the agri-food sector, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, has now been published.
Groups wishing to apply for the aid, aimed at strengthening the agri-food industry and improving its competitiveness, may do so between 23 January and 28 February 2023.
This call, which is published in the BOE of 29 December 2022, is endowed with 510 million euros, of which 310 million will be granted in the form of a subsidy and 200 million in the form of a loan, with the possibility of increasing by an additional 200 million.
The aid will be available to groups without legal personality that have established, prior to the submission of the application, an internal agreement governing its operation, and that meet the requirements set out in the order. These groups must be made up of a minimum of 4 entities and a maximum of 60 entities. Only private trading companies, cooperative societies and Agricultural Transformation Societies may form part of them.
In addition, the order published in the BOE includes, together with the call, several modifications to the order of bases with the aim of making some requirements more flexible, as well as favouring the participation of the agro-industrial fabric in this programme.
What are the projects eligible for funding?
Each group will be able to present a single tractor project, which will be made up of a set of primary projects -individual and in cooperation-, through which the actions defined in the competitiveness, traceability and food safety blocks are covered.
All the primary projects must in turn fall within one of the project typologies of the research, development and innovation lines, as well as innovation in environmental protection and energy efficiency defined in the regulatory bases.
Types of aid and guarantees
The call for proposals provides for the possibility of granting aid in the form of a grant, a loan or a combination of both.
The interest rate of the loans will be 0% and they will be granted with a repayment period of ten years, with a three-year grace period. Furthermore, the aid will be disbursed prior to the implementation of the projects benefiting from this PERTE Agroalimentario aid.
As regards the guarantees for the aid: for financing granted in the form of loans, the guarantees required will depend on the financial rating established, and may vary from 10% to 20%. On the other hand, for grant aid, they will vary from 40% to 100% depending on the aid received by each entity with respect to the total aid granted to the tractor project.
Finally, for newly created entities, guarantees of 100% of the amount of aid in the form of a grant and 41% of the amount of aid in the form of a loan will be required.
More about the PERTE Agroalimentario
The Agri-food PERTE has a budget of ¤1 billion, which has been increased by a further 800 million, and is made up of three strands. This first line, the largest in terms of budget allocation, aims to strengthen the agri-food industry and will be implemented by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism (MINCOTUR). The other two lines, granted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), aim to digitalise the entire value chain with a package of 454.35 million euros and to promote innovation and research with an allocation of 148.56 million euros.
This PERTE thus contributes to the modernisation, sustainability and digitisation of the agri-food industry, through innovative programmes that promote its competitiveness. In addition, it is expected to generate approximately 16,000 new jobs and to inject 3 billion into the Spanish economy.
