Orchard and greenhouse grants: amounts, land, obligations

Both grants are approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 738 and belong to the eRobota programme, but they work differently from Vlasna Sprava. There is no interview at the employment centre: the Ministry of Economy decides on the basis of an application checked by the bank and a costed project. Both strands are financed under the Ukraine Facility, so EU rules on sanctions screening and visibility apply.

The applicant may be a legal entity whose ultimate beneficial owners are Ukrainian citizens, or a sole proprietor, registered in the State Agrarian Register. State-owned and municipal enterprises are excluded.

Orchard, berry field and vineyard grant

The money pays for materials and equipment to plant and set up a new planting of 1 to 25 hectares. The amount is no more than UAH 400,000 per hectare and no more than UAH 10 million per recipient.

• For all crops except grapes an irrigation system and a water source are mandatory.
• Planting material must be of varieties entered in the state registers of plant varieties.
• One plot or several adjacent plots.
• A planting project with a cost estimate and an expert report on the estimate are attached to the application.

Greenhouse grant

What is financed is the construction of a modular greenhouse to a standard design approved by the Ministry of Economy. The amount is tied to the area:

• 0.4–0.6 hectares – UAH 2 million;
• 0.8–1.2 hectares – UAH 3.5 million;
• 1.6–2.4 hectares – UAH 7 million.

One recipient can receive a grant for one greenhouse only. A water source and irrigation are required.

Co-financing and land

In both strands the grant covers up to 50 per cent of the project cost, and the recipient contributes at least as much from own or borrowed funds. For farms in territories of possible or active hostilities, and for those with 80 per cent of their land still under occupation, the grant share rises to about 80 per cent. The mechanics are explained in the article on co-financing.

Your share must be paid in full into a dedicated account at the authorised bank within 30 calendar days of signing the agreement. Otherwise the grant decision is cancelled.

Ownership or use rights to the land must be documented for at least seven years as of the application date. A short lease is the most common reason an application is left without consideration.

Obligations after the award

Orchard. Costs must be paid within 12 months and planting completed within 18. After that you operate and pay taxes for at least five years and create permanent and seasonal jobs in the number given in the annex to the procedure, which depends on the crop. If the conditions are not met, you repay the difference between half of the grant used and the taxes paid.

Greenhouse. Construction must fit into 12 months. After commissioning you create at least four permanent and ten seasonal jobs per hectare, with seasonal staff working at least eight months a year. Operation and tax payments continue for at least three years, and on a breach you repay the difference between the grant used and the taxes paid.

In both cases selling the plantings or the greenhouse before the term ends, or spending funds off-purpose, means returning the grant. The bank, together with the regional administration, monitors the site every six months.

Typical mistakes

• The amount requested exceeds the per-hectare limit or breaks the ratio of grant to own funds.
• The application does not state the commitment on the number of jobs.
• The project is not signed by its developer or is filed without a cost estimate.
• The supplier has been registered for less than 12 months: payments to such counterparties are not made.
• Wanting to change the project after filing. No changes are made to a submitted project.

Your own share can be partly covered by a loan under Affordable Loans 5-7-9%. Processing of the harvest is financed by the separate processing plant grant.