Bulgaria: Nine New Fisheries Facilities Will Be Built with EU Funds
Nine new fish processing facilities will be built and four existing factories will be upgraded with funds under the Programme for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry said. Thirteen contracts of the value of 9.3 million BGN have been signed as the funds will be invested in strengthening of the fish processing industry in Bulgaria.
Where are the investments made
Two of the projects will be implemented in Panagyurishte and the others - in Plovdiv, Kavarna, Nessebur, Bourgas, Montana, Benkovski Village, Pirdop, Pazardjik, Sofia, Sliven and Shoumen. The implementation of the projects will open over 130 jobs, the Ministry said. The approved applicants committed to introduce sustainable management of resources and achieve maximum energy efficiency of the undertakings. The deadline for the implementation of the investments is between a year and a year and a half depending on the envisaged activities.
The next call for proposals under measure 5.4 “Processing of fishing and aquaculture products” of the Programme for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is scheduled for October 2017, the Ministry added.
The Programme
The Maritime and Fisheries Programme 2014-2020 was launched with a big delay. Its budget is 113 million euro of which 88 million are EU financing. The funds are distributed in six priority areas and 23 measures as two are oriented towards administration and control of the fisheries sector, while the others - towards the business. The allocated financial resource for aquaculture and modernization is 36.21 million euro or over 30% of the overall budget, 25.5 million euro are allocated within the measures for enhancing the fisheries infrastructure and diversification of operations and 12.7 million euro - for processing, establishment of producer organizations, etc. As of the present period the programme management is transferred from the Fisheries and Aquaculture Executive Agency to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The Agency has retained only its fishing control functions.
Source: Capital.bg, 14 August 2017