Big companies vying for SAPARD money

The first winners of the battle for the financing provided through the European Union’s SAPARD Programme will be announced this week, Agriculture Ministry officials said. The funds will be released next year.
To Romanian companies, SAPARD is a way to get non-repayable funds worth more than one billion euros over the next six years.
Any company that submits a one million-euro project will get half the amount invested through this programme, while the county and local councils investing in infrastructure will have their investment reimbursed in full.
The essential thing about this programme is that any company or county council will have to make the actual investment first and then have the expenses reimbursed.
The applicants in the farming products business are major companies, which have the necessary cash to make the investments and then recover part of the allocated funds.
The Romanian branch of the Spanish company Campofrio, Tabco Campofrio, has a 2 million euro project aimed at modernising the water purifying station of its Tulcea-based factory, as well as purchasing new equipment and new vehicles to expand the company’s distribution vehicle stock.
“We have a 2 million euro project, but we are having trouble with the selection criteria, which specify that one may not apply for financing unless having made profit over the last three years. I hope it will work out,” Ovidiu Vencz, Tabco Campofrio Romania general manager says. The application has already been endorsed by the Agriculture Ministry officials.
Another producer, that is Gourmet Prod, wants two million euros to increase the productive capacity of its charcuterie factory in Tunari, Ilfov County.
One of the major companies specialising in meat products, Cris-Tim, in its turn has applied for the maximum amount that may be allocated to a project. It plans to use the money to expand the productive capacity.
The applicants for SAPARD financing also include a winemaker, Carl Reh Winery, which seeks one million euros to introduce the ecological vineyard concept at its Oprisor, Mehedinti County-based business.