The Ministry of Agriculture provides non-refundable assistance to protect the vineyards, as in previous years, with an annual budget of about 800 thousand dollars, the Ministry said on Thursday.

Phytoplasm, causing golden yellowing of grapes, is one of the most dangerous pathogenic microorganisms of this berry, which poses a serious threat to the domestic grape and wine-making sector. Currently, there is no suitable method for controlling these pests, but it is possible to suppress the American grape tick that spreads it.

Thus, the Department of Agriculture will provide support for responsible control of producers of American grapevines in 2020 up to $ 40 per hectare and up to $ 800 per producer of this grape variety.

Assistance in purchasing plant protection products used in vineyards consists of two elements: assistance for the prevention of plant health and assistance for phytosanitary elimination. The help level for both elements is mainly 75% of the purchase price of the plant protection product. However, in the event that the solution is purchased and distributed by the contractor, 75% of the cost of the service may be requested back.

The ministry announced that an application for support in the field of phytosanitary prevention could be submitted by winegrowers to the Hungarian State Treasury by March 31.

• This year, many farmers in the south of Ukraine complain of adverse weather conditions for ripening grapes.
• French startup Vitibot introduced Bakus, an all-electric robot tractor designed to care for vineyards, the machine measures 1.65 x 3.50 x 1.75 m and weighs 2.5 tons and is capable of working on steep slopes, takes little energy and does not compact the soil, which reported on the startup website.
• The Spanish Association of Associated Agricultural Insurance Organizations (Agroseguros) has paid compensation worth a total of EUR 18.46 million to producers with table grape insurance due to adverse weather conditions in 2019.