The MiSE has established with specific decrees the methods of access to the 'Fund for innovative investments of agricultural enterprises'SMEs. With the aim of facilitating the purchase of tangible or intangible assets - such as the blockchain - to be used in the processing and / or marketing of agricultural products (1,2,3).
Fund for innovative investments in agricultural enterprises. Recipients and sectors of intervention
The bottom for innovative investments in agriculture it is aimed at agricultural SMEs with registered office or local unit in the national territory, without previous administrative and / or criminal sanctions. These companies must be active both in primary agricultural production and in the transformation of agricultural products and their marketing (exclusively directed to the final consumer and carried out in separate premises, used for this purpose).
The sectors of intervention are precisely those of the transformation and marketing of agricultural products. Companies not yet active in the two eligible sectors can activate the relevant ATECO codes by the date of submission of the request, attaching a copy of the relative communication.
Amount of contributions and accumulation of concessions
The benefits are granted in the form of a non-repayable grant to the extent of 30% of eligible expenses, or 40% in cases where the expenses concern the purchase of tangible or intangible capital goods provided for in Annexes A or B of Law 232/2016. (4)
The minimum limit of the concessions is € 5.000, the maximum of € 20.000 per beneficiary. And it is possible to request an advance not exceeding 50% of the concession granted.
The heap of the concessions in question with other state aids is subject to the limits set by the ABER regulation, which cannot be exceeded even in the event of cumulation with the contributions granted under the EAFRD. (5)
Eligible expenses and terms
The investment it must be completed within 12 months from the date of grant and be maintained in the 3 years following the balance of the contribution or the installation of the asset. In case of impossibility of use or obsolescence, it is possible to submit a request for replacement to the MiSE. Expenses are excluded:
- relating to used goods,
- incurred through the financial leasing system,
- attributable to expense titles of less than € 500, VAT included,
- VAT, unless it is actually incurred by the beneficiary company and is not recoverable,
- connected with the construction, purchase or rental of buildings or land,
- services and consultancy of any kind,
- taxes and duties, ancillary, legal and administrative charges.
Methods and deadlines for submitting applications
The questions contributions must be submitted via certified email (at contributofia@pec.mise.gov.it) starting from 23.5.22 and by 23.6.22. The application, in the form of a substitutive declaration of the deed of notoriety (DSAN), must be digitally signed by the legal representative or owner of the applicant farm. In the event of more than one application, the previous ones are canceled by the last one presented.
The requests of disbursement are always sent by certified e-mail, to the same address, from 30.9.22 to 30.9.23. By attaching all the tax documentation necessary for the positive assessment and disbursement of the contribution, entrusted to Invitalia. In the event of an incomplete or unclear application, Invitalia will request an integration to be answered within 30 days, otherwise the grant will be revoked.
Blockchain
La blockchain it is one of the intangible assets that best presents itself to the eligibility of the concessions in question, which can cover 40% of the costs. In Annex B to the law 232/2016 they are in fact included software, systems, platforms and applications aimed at facilitating:
- the dispatching of activities and the routing of products in production systems,
- quality management at the level of the production system and related processes,
- the management systems of the supply chain aimed at Dropship in 'ecommerce.
Wiise Chain is the platform of blockchain public Made in Italy - based on the BitCoin protocol and the open-source software OpenTimestamps - tailor-made for operators in the agri-food chain and the contiguous ones. The modular approach of this system is associated with its versatility of use, capable of enhance traceability and sustainability of processes and products to share their value with stakeholders (Eg. buyers, importers, logistics operators, control authorities) and consumers (6,7).
Dario Dongo and Andrea Adelmo Della Penna
Footnotes to the story
(1) MiSE. Fund for innovative investments of agricultural enterprises. https://www.mise.gov.it/index.php/it/incentivi/impresa/fondo-investimenti-innovativi-imprese-agricole
(2) MiSE. Implementation methods related to the use of the resources of the "Fund for innovative investments of agricultural enterprises" intended to favor the realization, by agricultural enterprises, of investments in new tangible and intangible assets, instrumental to the performance of the activity. GU General Series n.246 of 14-10-2021, https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2021/10/14/21A05989/sg
(3) MiSE. Directorial decree 2.5.22. Fund for innovative investments of agricultural enterprises - Deadlines for submitting applications. https://bit.ly/37U42Hd
(4) MiSE. Attachments A and B of Law 232/2016. https://www.mise.gov.it/images/stories/normativa/Allegati_DM_imprese_agricole.pdf
(5) See reg. EU n. 1305/2013
(6) Dario Dongo. Agri-food blockchain, from Walmart to the FDA in the USA, Wiise Chain in Italy. To the Web 3. GIFTS (Great Italian Food Trade). 9.2.22/XNUMX/XNUMX, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/idee/blockchain-agroalimentare-da-walmart-alla-fda-in-usa-wiise-chain-in-italia-verso-il-web-3
(7) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Public blockchain and agri-food chain, sustainability for those who produce and those who consume. GIFTS (Great Italian Food Trade). 28.2.21/XNUMX/XNUMX, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/progresso/blockchain-pubblica-e-filiera-agroalimentare-sostenibilità-per-chi-produce-e-chi-consuma
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Graduated in Food Technologies and Biotechnologies, qualified food technologist, he follows the research and development area. With particular regard to European research projects (in Horizon 2020, PRIMA) where the FARE division of WIISE Srl, a benefit company, participates.
