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the years 2007-2013. In 2010, polish farmers have received through the pro-gramme 8,4 milliard PLN, and from its beginning we have disbursed from it over 22 milliard PLN. The Programme for Rural Development for 2007-2013 is one of the most important instru-ments for activities modernizing Eu-ropean and polish farming and food processing.
In the financial perspective ad-opted for 2007-2013 by the European Union, Poland is the largest beneficiary of funds from the European Agricultur-al Fund for RurAgricultur-al Development, from which the programme is financed.
The European Committee has approved for Poland funds of 17,4 milliard Euro. (The European Union has assigned 13,4 milliard Euro, and 4 milliard Euro come from the state budget.) As a consequence, the mod-ernization and revitalization of polish agriculture is being realized on a scale which is unprecedented in the history of Poland.
I wish to stress the fact that whereas the direct subsidies aim mostly to ensure current profitability of ag-ricultural activity in member coun-tries, funds from Programme of Rural Development 2007-2013 are to bring more far-reaching modernization and civilization effects. In the programme (which consists of 23 so-called actions) there are, i.a. funds for modernization of farms, creating new places of em-ployment in rural areas, improving agrar structure, building of a modern rural infrastructure, as well as for ag-ricultural activity ensuring protection of natural environment, preserving the cultural heritage of the countryside and the traditional landscape and for main-taining traditional crops and keeping local (polish) breeds of animals. Also money for rebuilding farms destroyed through floods is distribitued from the Programme for Rural Development 2007-2013 funds, as well as for
recre-ating forests destroyed by cataclysms.
The scope of the Programme for Ru-ral Development is the best testimony that the European Union takes care that the rural areas are not only a huge food producer, but also an attractive place for living and recreation, e.g. on agro-tourist farms. To a large extent it is thanks to agri-environmental sub-sidies that the meadows in Poland abound in fowl and region-specific breeding animals, and that the polish forests are rich in natural treasures.
Money from this programme support however mostly the development of entrepreneurship and activate rural communities to take economic initia-tives. It is possible to receive funds from Programme for Rural Development for establishing a store, gastronomic premises, a tourism agency, as well as for developing or creating a company of municipal, transport, construction, accounting or computer services.
Within the programme, investments in rural infrastructure are supported, e.g.: road construction, sewage system building, development of tourist in-frastructure, renovation of object of cultures or reconstruction of monu-ments of sacral art. The membership in European Union gave Poland many possibilities for receiving support for various investments. Thanks to it, each year the polish countryside changes for better, it becomes better maintained, more modern, and even more ecologi-cal. This tempts the inhabitants of cities to move to „the land away from the city”, as it is where they can find fresh air, some peace and a chance to relax, and often a dream-like home close to the clean nature.
The Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture launches successfully the Programme for Rural Development for 2007-2013. The tes-timony of it might be the fact that no other EU country has disbursed such a large amount of money as Poland did.
Also specific effects of the programme are visible, which will be illustrated on the example of action 121: Moderniza-tion of farms. In this publicaModerniza-tion Janu-ary application recruitment from this year was not included. It was very pop-ular (we have received over 35 thou-sand applications). Not enough time has passed from its implementation to say anything of the effects. Therefore, until 31 December 2010 the Agency for Development and Modernization of Agriculture has done two recruitments, during which over 43 thousand appli-cations were submitted for the sum of nearly 5 milliard PLN. According to our information, thanks to the support of the PRD 2007-2013, until Decem-ber 2010, farmers have realized about 25 thousand „operations”. Financing from the Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture was used for i.a. buying 16 thousand tractors, nearly 97 machines, tools and equip-ment for agricultural production and for modernization of over 900 produc-tion buildings (i.a. piggeries, cowsheds, and other farm buildings. Over thou-sand farms have been computerized.
Soon the effects will be more visible, because this year many investments will be finalized and cleared.
Also support offered within the action Creation and development of mi-cro businesses is very important. Thanks to it new work places are created in villages and on rural areas. Until the end of December 2010, over 800 mini businesses have received co-financ-ing from ARiMR for creatco-financ-ing new job places and the following 1,6 thousand will be granted after the jobs will have been created. In total, it is expected that there will be 20 thousand new jobs.
Support from Programme for Rural Development 2007-2013 reaches also bigger entrepreneurs with activity in the agricultural and food processing sector. Within the action Improving the added value of basic agricultural
and forestry production, until the end of 2010, 385 enterprises have received support for investments in their plants.
The money is mostly allocated for pur-chase or installation of agricultrual machines or equipment for preparing agricultural products, for processing or storing.
Assessing the results of Pro-gramme of Rural Development 2007-2013 in the half-way point of its imple-mentation, it is important to remember about some elements necessary for conducting a reliable analysis. Most of all, the majority of application re-cruitments in this programme was done in 2008 and 2009. It is hence fair to speak of a certain delay in imple-menting PRD. Before that, ARiMR did not have the authorization to conduct the application recruitment, to assess the applications and disburse money.
This had influence on the realization of PRD 2007-2013 in the halfpoint of its implementation, as it was not possible to make up for all the lost time.
One of the implementation as-sumption of the programme was eco-nomic growth measured with GDB indicator and the number of people employed. Even though there was a de-lay in implementing the Programme for Rural Development, the indicators have reached half the assumed value, which certainly is a success of Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture. Moreover, the conduct-ed analysis shows that in 2010-2015 the increase of assumed GDP indicators will be significantly exceeded. The fore-seen influence of PRD 2007-2013 on economic growth will be 1,5 per cent and on employment increase - about 1,7 per cent. In my opinion the data re-fute the thesis presented by some of the journalists, stating that support of the PRD is mostly of a social character.
The Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture as a payment agency fulfills various
functions delegated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (that is, the executive institution) has a key role in realizing programmes of agriculture and rural develop-ment. There are sparse opinions that we could act faster, especially when it comes to Money disbursing. However, it is not easy, as the agency is obliged to rigorously follow rules imposed by the European Union and to use in its work very detailed so- called proce-dure books. In order to do that, the highest efficiency in management is necessary. For our staff however, it is still the beneficiaries and the optimal using of the money we have that is the most important. It is our pleasure to say that the ARiMR is currently a very well-working institution and - which is of the highest importance - we are very well assessed by the beneficiaries.
It has been demonstrated by the results of public opinion polls. Positive evalu-ations are a result of i.a. fast delivery of direct subsidies (they are transferred to most of the polish farmers as soon as in the first months of their disbursement, as well as of a successful initiating the recruitment for support from all PRD 2007-2013 actions.
ARiMR attempts to promote the possibilities of using PRD 2007-2013 funds and to demonstrate the effects achieved thanks to the money from the programme. As in recent years, we share the most important infor-mation during press conferences and have regular contact with press, radio and television journalists. This year ex-tension of cooperation with regional, specialized and local newspapers had place, as well as with portals on agri-cultural issues. Most of the informa-tion in media on the agency is positive.
Within the information and promo-tional campaign we are also planning to organize trainings and seminaries, as well as to participate in conferences organized by Agricultural Chambers,
centers for agricultural advising or life sciences universities. We will partici-pate in all important fairs, exhibitions, competitions, harvest festivals and in trainings for farmers and inhabitants of the countryside. ARiMR is planning the participation in numerous national agricultural events, such as in joint in-formation stands with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and with resort institutions. We are also planning to continue publications and distribution of informational materials and brochures.
We do not stop at what was achieved so far. We are searching for new forms of promotion and infor-mation distribution. We want the enormous economic and civilization project, which is the realization of PRD 2007-2013, to be present in the consciousness of millions of the Polish people, not only in rural areas, but also in the cities.
We are conscious of the fact that Polish integration with the European Union can be successful only provided that the inhabitants of rural areas ben-efit from the whole range of the civiliza-tion progress offered by the European Union and its helping programmes, and the inhabitants of cities will not be reluctant to support the agriculture.
Hence, we campaign the promotion of Programme for Rural Development in the fifth edition of the Polish Tele-vision serial Ranczo (Ranch.) Each of the thirteen trailer episodes (as part of so-called idea placement) will refer to PRD 2007-2013. We were successful as each of the broadcasted episodes was watched by over 8 million of view-ers. Last year we promoted PRD in our television spot featuring three actresses of the serial, which was another an-nouncement of the present campaign.
Also cooperation with the Polish Radio has satisfactory results. The informa-tion on PRD broadcasted in Sygnały Dnia, Poranne Rozmaitości Rolnicze
(the Day Signal, Morning Agriculture Variety), as well as conveyed in the ra-dio play entitled In Jeziorany is also widely responded. Another unconven-tional action initialized by the Social Communication Department of The Agency for Restructuring and Modern-ization of Agriculture and popularized by the most influential Polish mass me-dia, was a distribution of 22 thousand reflecting waistcoats with three logos:
European Union, ARiMR and PRD 2007-2013 to the children from the ru-ral areas. We were motivated to com-mence this action by the fact that in the Union statistics the mortality of
chil-dren in the accidents on the country roads is high and unfortunately Poland is one of the leading countries. Thanks to the reflecting waistcoats many chil-dren have a chance to avoid accidents and we have a wide advertisement of the PRD.
Currently the European Union leads a debate concerning the shape of financial perspective 2014-2020. We expect that developing of the modern agriculture and the food processing in-dustry will consequently get enormous financial means and Poland will ben-efit from them. It is a common knowl-edge that it is impossible to achieve the
successful development of the whole economy if the agriculture is not mod-ernized. ARiMR is well prepared to the new task, and we can guarantee that no money administered to Poland for the agricultural development will be wasted. We are proud of the fact that ARiMR significantly influences reinforcement of the welfare of people inhabiting the countryside and the ru-ral areas.