The subdelegate of the Government in Huesca, Carlos Campo, visited Ballobar to learn about the impact of the ICO-MAP-SAECA line of aid called by the Ministry of Agriculture to facilitate access to funding for young farmers, with an endowment of 27 million euros. Campo has talked about the sector with Alfredo Sanjuán, a 32-year-old fruit grower, who has applied for this grant.
Campo has pointed out that, with this and other measures, “the Government of Spain demonstrates that it is committed to the viability of family farms and to generational relief in the countryside.”
In this regard, the deputy delegate has highlighted, as Minister Luis Planas already did, “the high degree of compliance” of the 43 support measures committed by the Ministry of Agriculture after listening to the demands of the sector. As a more recent example of this, he highlighted that “the Council of Ministers recently approved the voluntariness of the digital exploitation notebook, one of the demands that were put on the table”.
ICO-MAP-SAECA Help Lines
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food launched at the end of 2024 the calls for aid from the ICO-MAP-SAECA Line and grants from SAECA vouchers for young farmers and operators in the fishing sector, for a total amount of 27.000.000 euros for both.
These aid lines make it possible to subsidise 15% amortisation of the principal of the credits and the cost of the guarantee; it is estimated that they can mobilise a credit of around 135 million euros and are expected to benefit more than 2,000 young farmers and livestock farmers.
The aim of the subsidies, financed entirely by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), is to facilitate access to financing for young farmers, within the framework of the Ministry ' s policies to improve the financing of the sector and to contribute to generational change in this area.
The subsidy of the cost of the principal (ICO-MAP-SAECA Line) has a budget of € 20,000,000, and is implemented through an agreement signed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), the Official Credit Institute (ICO) and the State Limited Company of Agrarian Protection (SAECA). The ICO MAPA SAECA model has been extended, which has already mobilized, after the success of the first edition, more than 600 million euros.
The aid is intended for holders of agricultural holdings who are not older than 40 years, who can obtain a bonus of up to 15% on the main credit, with a term of up to 15 years, which may contemplate periods of absence of up to 3 years, depending on the duration of the credit. A maximum amount of 15,000 euros per beneficiary is established.
The subsidized loan must be endorsed by SAECA, and in order to facilitate the obtaining of these guarantees, the subsidy line is called with 7,000,0000 euros. The deadline for submitting applications will end on September 15, 2027, or at the end of the available credit.