In brief

  • Growers of ware potatoes can receive de minimis aid of up to 300 euro per hectare in 2026, out of a total budget of 26.625 million lei.
  • The basic conditions: at least 0.3 hectares under cultivation and a yield of at least 12 tonnes per hectare, plus registration of the land in the agricultural register.
  • The application is filed with the county agricultural directorate within 5 working days of entry into force, and the money is paid out by 22 December 2026.
Act: Government Decision no. 638/2026
Published: Official Gazette of Romania (Monitorul Oficial) no. 694 of 21 August 2026
In force from: 21 August 2026

Anyone with at least three thousand square metres of potatoes who harvests at least 12 tonnes per hectare has five working days to file the application for the 300 euro per hectare. Government Decision no. 638 of 20 August 2026, published in Official Gazette of Romania no. 694 of 21 August 2026, approves the de minimis aid scheme for the programme supporting ware potato production in 2026. It is the second major support scheme for farmers this year, after the one in which the state set aside 714.3 million lei for diesel used in agriculture.

The scheme applies across the whole country, for ware potatoes, meaning the species Solanum tuberosum in its early, summer and autumn varieties, from the entry into force of the decision until 31 December 2026. The European basis is Regulation (EU) No 1.408/2013 on de minimis aid in the agricultural sector, which exempts the scheme from the obligation to notify the Commission.

Beneficiaries may be agricultural producers who are natural persons holding a producer certificate valid until 31 December 2026, authorised natural persons, sole proprietorships and family enterprises, as well as legal persons, whatever their form of organisation.

What it changes in practice

Growers who file applications with APIA also fall under the new conditionality penalties: exemption up to 30 hectares and a new scale for crop rotation.

The first effect is the amount. The support is up to 300 euro per hectare in 2026, is granted in proportion to the area actually cultivated and is paid in lei, at the National Bank of Romania exchange rate of the date on which the decision enters into force.

The second effect is the entry threshold. The beneficiary has to meet several conditions cumulatively: cultivate at least 0.3 hectares of ware potatoes, send the county agricultural directorate a written notification identifying the land and confirming that the crop exists, obtain at least 12 tonnes per hectare, and be entered in the agricultural register held by the town hall in whose area the land lies.

The third effect is the timetable, which is tight. The application to join the programme is filed with the county agricultural directorate within 5 working days of the decision entering into force. It may also be sent electronically or by post and courier, and copies have to be certified as „true to the original” by the applicant.

For last year’s drought damage the window is wider, and just as fixed: applications for the 333 lei per hectare on maize and sunflower are filed within 20 working days, and payment has a 31 December deadline.

The fourth effect is the risk of a cut. The budget of the scheme is 26,625 thousand lei, provided from the budget of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. If the applications together exceed that amount, the aid per hectare is reduced proportionally, through a reduction coefficient communicated to the county directorates.

The fifth effect concerns the de minimis ceiling. The aid granted to one undertaking or to a single undertaking may not exceed the lei equivalent of 50,000 euro over any period of three years, calculated for aid in primary agricultural production starting with 2023.

The sixth effect is the payment date. The sums are transferred into beneficiaries’ accounts by 22 December 2026 inclusive, once the opening of budget appropriations has been approved by the Ministry of Finance.

What has changed compared with the previous situation

The programme supporting ware potato production is not new as an idea, but the scheme is approved year by year, through a decision of its own, with the budget and the amount set for that particular year. For 2026, the benchmarks are 300 euro per hectare and 26.625 million lei.

The second novelty concerns the way the ceiling is calculated. The decision expressly lists the de minimis schemes granted by the ministry over the past three years, from the tomato programme of 2023 to the garlic one, precisely so that the applicant knows which sums have to be added up when checking whether they stay within the 50,000 euro.

The third clarification concerns a second, separate ceiling. The declaration in the standard application form asks the applicant to state whether the sums received and those applied for exceed 300,000 euro, the general de minimis ceiling under Regulation (EU) 2023/2.831. The two limits are checked separately: 50,000 euro for agricultural aid, 300,000 euro for general aid.

What does not change is the competent authority. Applications are filed with and checked by the county agricultural directorates, while the county centres of the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture remain involved in the verifications.

Advantages and disadvantages

What it improves

  • The area threshold is low, 0.3 hectares, so the scheme also reaches households that grow potatoes on a few thousand square metres.
  • The application can be sent electronically, by post or by courier, with no obligatory trip to the offices of the agricultural directorate.
  • Anyone with land in several counties files a single application, with the directorate in the county where they hold the largest area.
  • The payment date is fixed in the decision, 22 December 2026, rather than left to the institution’s discretion.
  • Staff at the agricultural directorate can help the applicant check, within the limits of the information they hold, what de minimis sums they have already received over the past three years.

What remains a problem

  • The filing deadline is only 5 working days from entry into force, very short for a farmer in the middle of the harvesting season.
  • The 300 euro per hectare is a maximum, not a guarantee. If the applications exceed the budget, the amount falls through a reduction coefficient.
  • The yield condition, at least 12 tonnes per hectare, is checked afterwards, so the farmer files the application before knowing for certain whether it will be met.
  • The file calls for six categories of documents, including an original certificate from the agricultural register, which means a trip to the town hall within the same short deadline.
  • The two de minimis ceilings, 50,000 and 300,000 euro, are calculated under different rules, and the burden of keeping track of them stays with the applicant.

Practical advice

  1. Count the days from 21 August 2026, the date of publication. The 5 working day deadline runs from entry into force, and a late filing cannot be put right.
  2. Ask in good time for the certificate from the agricultural register for 2026. It has to be presented in the original and it attests the area cultivated with ware potatoes.
  3. Check that the producer certificate is still valid. The scheme requires it to be valid until 31 December 2026.
  4. Add up the de minimis sums received since 2023 across all agricultural schemes. If the total plus the amount now applied for exceeds 50,000 euro, the application cannot be accepted in full.
  5. If you hold land in different counties, do not file several applications. A single one is filed, with the agricultural directorate in the county where the area is largest.
  6. If you send the file electronically, sign and date the documents and write „true to the original” on the copies. Without that endorsement, the file is incomplete.
  7. Do not count on the maximum amount when planning the farm budget. The actual aid is known only after the applications have been consolidated and any reduction coefficient applied.

Frequently asked questions

How much do I receive per hectare?
Up to 300 euro per hectare in 2026, in proportion to the area actually cultivated. The sum is paid in lei, at the National Bank of Romania exchange rate of the date on which the decision enters into force.
What is the minimum area I need?
At least 0.3 hectares cultivated with ware potatoes, that figure included. Below that threshold the scheme cannot be accessed.
What yield do I have to obtain?
At least 12 tonnes per hectare from the area for which the support is claimed. It is one of the cumulative eligibility conditions.
By when do I file the application?
Within 5 working days of the date on which the decision enters into force, with the county agricultural directorate. The application may be filed in person, by post, by courier or by electronic means.
When do I get the money?
By 22 December 2026 inclusive. The county agricultural directorates transfer the sums into beneficiaries’ accounts once the Ministry of Finance has approved the opening of budget appropriations.
What happens if more farmers apply than the budget allows?
The amount per hectare is reduced proportionally. The ministry calculates a reduction coefficient and communicates it to the county directorates, which redo the consolidated statements within three working days.
Which de minimis ceiling applies?
50,000 euro over any period of three years for aid in the primary agricultural production sector, calculated from 2023. Separately, the standard application form also requires a declaration that the general ceiling of 300,000 euro under Regulation (EU) 2023/2.831 is respected.

Original text of the legal act

The text below is reproduced in Romanian, the official form of publication.

The full text, as published in the Official Gazette of Romania

Official Gazette of Romania no. 694 of 21 August 2026 16 pages PDF, 128 KB the act starts on page 2

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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific situations, consult a licensed attorney or tax advisor.