Zadar County aims to strengthen the cultivation of the traditional Marasca cherry through a new support programme that could provide up to €250,000 over three years.
The initiative, which is still at the proposal stage, is intended to support the establishment of new cherry orchards, irrigation systems and soil preparation.
The plan targets an area historically associated with the Marasca cherry and aims to give new momentum to local agricultural production through the direct involvement of Croatian towns and municipalities, which would act as intermediaries between the County and farmers.
The draft programme provides for a progressive expansion of cultivated areas. In the first cycle, the target is to establish around 10 hectares of new Marasca cherry orchards, while in the second and third cycles the target would rise to 20 hectares in each phase.
The financial support would not be provided directly by Zadar County to growers. As reported by eZadar, the funds would instead be transferred to towns and municipalities, which would then organise their own public calls for farmers interested in establishing new orchards.
The structure is designed to entrust local authorities with the operational management of the incentives, making access to funding more closely connected to the different agricultural communities across the area.
Among the planned measures is a contribution of up to €5 per tree for the purchase of planting material. The programme considers a planting density of between 500 and 600 trees per hectare.
Support would also cover some of the investments required during the establishment of new orchards. For irrigation systems, funding of up to €2,000 per hectare could be available, while soil analysis could receive support of up to €400 per hectare.
These measures could be complemented by additional support of up to €1,000 per hectare from local authorities for soil preparation work.
As for the size of eligible investments, applications for new plantings would have to cover at least 250 trees, corresponding to approximately half a hectare, while the maximum eligible area per applicant would be set at three hectares.
The programme's total funding allocation would reach a maximum of €250,000, financed through the Zadar County budget.
The draft sets out a progressive allocation of resources: €50,000 in 2027, followed by €100,000 in 2028 and a further €100,000 in 2029.
The objective is to support local agricultural production and encourage the establishment of new Marasca cherry orchards in an area of Dalmatia traditionally associated with this variety.
Before the individual public calls are launched, the County plans to carry out a survey among farmers to assess the actual level of interest in the initiative.
The survey will also help estimate the demand for planting material required to establish the new orchards.
The programme, however, must still complete the required administrative and budgetary procedures. The final amounts will depend on the resources available in the County's annual budgets and on the conditions set out in subsequent public calls.
If the project is implemented according to the stated objectives, the next three years could mark a new phase of expansion for Marasca cherry orchards in Dalmatia, with investments focused not only on increasing planted areas but also on the infrastructure and preparation needed for the development of new orchards.
Source: www.croatiaweek.com
Image source: Stefano Lugli
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