A new Intervention Fund for support of farmers will be established in 2022. The funds in the amount of MKD 250 million were provided through an amendment intervention of the Draft Budget for 2022 for which the debate is ongoing in the Parliamentary Home Committee.
– Through discussion with solid arguments we can reach a solution. “We are all aware that agriculture is an important sector in our economy and that there is a need to intervene when the market is disrupted, especially when prices are at a level where farmers can not cover costs,” said Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi during the amendment debate. which started in the Parliamentary Home Committee.
He emphasized that with the establishment of the Intervention Fund in the Agency for Support of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2022 the standard of farmers will be supported.
This will be additional instrument of existing subsidies in agriculture which otherwise in 2020 and 2021 were at the highest level ever. In 2020, in conditions of a pandemic, 8,8 billion denars were paid, while in 2021, with the supplementary budget, 8,5 billion denars were allocated.
During the discussion, the Minister stressed that there is an increasing trend in the funds for green development.
– In 2021, for the first time in the Budget, we introduced a green development program which was planned at the level of 685 million denars, and in 2022 the funds are projected at 3,6 billion denars. There is a general trend of increasing funds for green development and environmental protection. Thus, in 2018 the funds were at the level of 980 million denars, in 2019 – 1,1 billion denars, 2020 – 1,5 billion denars, 2021 – 2 billion denars and for the next year in 2022 are projected at 3,6 billion denars .
Additionally, 1,7 billion denars are provided only for zero pollution through a new program.
The Minister pointed out that Funds are also provided through the World Bank for energy efficiency of public buildings. The envisaged 25 million euros will improve the energy efficiency of public buildings, including health facilities, and the project includes replacement of the way of heating the buildings, in order for them to become environmentally friendly.
The project will start to be implemented in 2022, and applications for projects are being submitted by the municipalities.
The debate on the submitted amendments, which started yesterday, according to the Rules of Procedure, lasts five days. A total of 223 amendments were submitted to the Draft Budget.
