Producers in Iasi looking to benefit from financial aid offered by the Ministry of Agriculture through the Tomata 2025 program are urged to prepare their documentation for submission to the local Agricultural Directorate.
The Tomata 2025 program primarily supports the cultivation of vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, cabbages, beans, lettuce, spinach, and green onions in protected spaces. The initiative is designed to stimulate the growth of these crops in greenhouses or limited exposure fields, encouraging a more diverse vegetable market.
Farmers can receive up to 1.5 euros per square meter, which translates to a maximum of 1,500 euros for every 1,000 square meters, as long as they cultivate a minimum area of 1,000 square meters. The total financial aid a beneficiary can receive caps at 50,000 euros. This support is part of a wider minimum aid scheme that will be active across Romania from 2025 to 2027, intended to secure the production of greenhouse vegetables.
Applications for the 2025 program will be accepted until May 30, 2025, at the Agricultural Directorate in Iasi. Those interested in applying for the following year, 2026, must submit their requests between February 2 and April 15. Farmers seeking financial aid must commit to cultivating a minimum area of 1,000 square meters, adhering to legislative requirements about the crop types and areas involved, as well as the minimum plant densities per unit area.
Additionally, vegetable growers must achieve cultivation yields that meet the minimum standards specific to their chosen crop. They are also required to be registered in the agricultural register maintained by the local authorities covering their cultivated spaces at the time they apply for support. Moreover, maintaining a treatment record detailing any plant protection measures is essential.
Importantly, the produce must adhere to maximum residue limits for pesticides, ensuring that health standards are met. Furthermore, to prevent individual enterprises from exceeding the financial limits, the total amount received from this minimum financial aid should not surpass the equivalent of 50,000 euros in lei during the last three years.
In terms of market accessibility, producers have various options to sell their products, including through cooperatives, producer groups, organizations, or direct sales at fairs and markets or through processing industries. The proof of vegetable production from protected spaces can be substantiated by receipts from agricultural product sale registers issued by individual beneficiaries, along with electronic invoices for the vegetables that fall under the program after their application registration date.
Traditionally, the majority of producers focus on tomato cultivation, but the program encourages diversified vegetable growth to ensure a continuous supply of Romanian vegetables throughout the year.
Financial assistance amounting to 150,000 euros was also provided to local producers in Iasi during 2024, as part of an ongoing support strategy for farmers managing over 1,000 square meters of protected horticulture.
This minimum financial aid scheme has been beneficial for local farmers, having been implemented through several government ordinances over the years. Notably, it aims to secure a steady supply of fresh vegetables during the off-season while simultaneously providing essential support to vegetable growers.
Sparking interest in agriculture, younger individuals in Iasi are increasingly drawn toward vegetable cultivation using European funds, with many farmers securing between 40,000 and 70,000 euros each for their operations in the 2023-2024 timeframe.
In 2025, payments are slated to begin for youths who accessed European funding as part of agricultural support measures implemented in recent years. The funds are earmarked for developing vegetable farms across various districts of Iasi County, alongside investments for purchasing agricultural machinery or establishing vegetable and fruit processing facilities.
With applications for the Tomata 2025 program set to commence in April, producers in Iasi can look forward to significant financial assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture, providing a substantial boost to their agricultural endeavors.
