Over 53,000 farmers with crops affected by drought will receive compensation from the Ministry of Agriculture

Nearly 54,000 farmers whose maize and sunflower crops were affected by the 2025 drought will receive emergency financial support, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced. The payments, totaling 155.36 million lei, must be completed by December 31, 2026.

MARD and the Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture have closed the application submission session, based on Government Decision No. 751/2026, as amended by Government Decision No. 950/2026. Nationwide, 53,930 applications were submitted for a disaster-affected area of 716,894.72 hectares. The area determined based on the 2025 payment applications is 865,991.52 hectares.

The maximum aid initially set was 333 lei per hectare for crops affected at a rate of 90%-100%, while for lower levels of damage, support was calculated proportionally. Since the total value of applications is approaching 248 million lei, exceeding the available budget, the amount will be reduced proportionally for all beneficiaries.

Agriculture Minister Florin Barbu said that the authorities had changed the calculation formula to remove provisions considered disadvantageous to farmers. MARD and APIA are finalizing the administrative checks and will then establish and apply the linear reduction coefficient. Eligible crops must have been affected at a rate of at least 30% and no more than 100%.