Assumed growing so to get a surcharge. NIK audited the farmers – Official East

In the ten years of the program, subsidies for organic orchards and berry crops benefited more than 14.5 thousand. farmers in the country. Only in the province. Lublin in the years 2008-2014 farmers applied more than 5.8 thousand. applications for EU money. She looked at this Supreme Chamber of Control, from 2005 onwards.

NIK report shows that most of the farmers involved orchards and berry crops not for harvest, but for the subsidies. And these were high. Ranged from 650 zł to even PLN 1800 per hectare. The condition was one of plantations had to be kept for 5 years.

However, despite the high subsidies for growing out mass plantation – a total of over 708 million zł in the country in 10 years – did not grow fruit production. And even – as enumerated NIK – decreased, with 15 tonnes of fruit / ha in 2005. To 1 t of fruit / ha in 2013. Meanwhile, the acreage has increased eight-fold. For example: in Lublin in 2008. Area planted with fruit and berry, to which the EU dopłacała, was 480 ha, and in 2013. – Already 5 594 ha. What’s interesting – the farmers were not held accountable for the harvest, because nobody did not require it.

NIK points out that the Ministry of Agriculture in 2008 already had signs that the subsidy system does not work. And while on farmers imposed additional requirements – eg. As to quality or the minimum number of trees – a “productivity continued to fall.” Only after 10 years, conditional upon the granting of aid from the obtained yields.

– payments were to support organic farming , while organic fruit sold with only 5 per cent of the crop, we reviewed – tells Paul Biedziak, a spokesman for the SCC. – The rest of the fruit sold as conventional production (using chemicals and genetic modification – ed.).

NIK also checked the 20 households in the country, which have benefited from such subsidies. Some do not yield any harvest. Some farmers also announced that the crops they want to liquidate at the end of the program.

NIK in the report identifies, among farm in Lublin, which was founded in 2009, an orchard, a total of 15 hectares of apple and plum trees. “inter-sown with rye. Trees underdeveloped. The area enclosed, protected from predators tree with plastic seals. Damage to trees up to 30 percent “- the report says the Chamber.

And in this case, the grower has declared that it will eliminate the cultivation after the program.