Romanian Winemakers To Receive Funds For Crop Insurance, Wine Promoting

Romanian winemakers will receive funds to promote their wines on foreign markets, to insure their crop and to use concentrated grape stum in order to increase alcohol concentration, the Government said Thursday in a statement.
Every member state receives annual funds from the European Union, and decides which sectors will benefit from the respective sums.

The Government approved Wednesday the list of programs for Romanian winemakers.

The programs to benefit from funding will include the restructuring of vineyards, which is already underway, crop insurance, the use of concentrated grape stum for the increase of alcohol concentrations, rooting out bonuses, wine promotion on foreign markets and investments.

The financial support comes from the state budget, via the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and payments will begin on January 1, 2009. The Agriculture Payment Agency will manage payments, the government said.

The government will later recover the state budget funds spent from the European Union. The Agriculture Ministry will establish by orders the conditions for granting the financial support. The requests for the restructuring of vineyards have exceeded the allocated budget.

Romania will receive some EUR210.5 million in European funds between 2009 and 2013. The restructuring of vineyards program receives EUR36-37 million annually, according to estimated data.