DR-18 AFIR: up to €100,000 for flowers and medicinal plants, submit by 31 October

The AFIR (Agency for the Financing of Rural Investments) call window for intervention DR-18 "Investments in floriculture, medicinal and aromatic plants" is open until 31 October 2026, 16:00. Farmers organised as PFAs (sole traders), IIs, IFs (family businesses) or companies can apply, as can cooperatives and producer groups. Support reaches €100,000 per project, from a total budget of €5 million. Since 1 October, the quality threshold has dropped from 70 to 40 points, so projects that did not clear the pre-scoring in September can now enter the competition.

In brief

• Programme: CAP Strategic Plan 2023–2027, intervention DR-18 – Investments in floriculture, medicinal and aromatic plants
• Authority: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, through AFIR (Agency for the Financing of Rural Investments)
• Beneficiaries: legally constituted farmers (not natural persons), agricultural cooperatives, cooperative societies, and producer groups and organisations recognised by MADR
• Total budget: €5,000,000
• Value per project / intensity: maximum €100,000 of public support; 85% of eligible costs for farms of €2,000–11,999 SO and 65% for farms of at least €12,000 SO
• Submission period: 1 September 2026, 09:00 – 31 October 2026, 16:00, online at afir.ro
• Quality threshold: 70 points in September; 40 points from 1 to 31 October 2026, which is also the minimum threshold
• Status: call window open, second monthly stage

Who can apply?

According to the applicant's guide, DR-18 funds farms with an economic size of at least €2,000 SO, calculated using the SOC 2020 coefficients. The applicant must be a legally constituted farmer, so unauthorised natural persons cannot apply. The eligible legal forms are:

• PFA, sole proprietorship (II), family business (IF);
• SRL, SA, SNC, SCS, SCA, agricultural companies;
• agricultural cooperatives (Law 566/2004) and cooperative societies (Law 1/2005);
• producer groups and organisations recognised by MADR;
• agricultural research and development institutes, stations and units, and educational units, only for production units registered with APIA/ANSVSA.

The farm must be registered with APIA (or ANSVSA/ANZ, as applicable) before the funding application is submitted, including when the agricultural activity only begins through the project. Each applicant may submit only one DR-18 project per call window. Anyone who has already applied under DR-14 for flowers, aromatic, medicinal or ornamental plants cannot also apply under DR-18.

Which investments are funded?

The indicative list of eligible costs in the guide includes:

• establishing, expanding or modernising farms growing flowers, ornamental, medicinal and aromatic plants, in open fields or in protected spaces (greenhouses, polytunnels);
• new machinery, trailers and agricultural equipment specific to these crops, including through leasing;
• conditioning and storage units;
• on-farm processing, marketing (including a farm-gate shop), irrigation and access roads, only as secondary components of the project;
• renewable energy, exclusively for own consumption and without prosumer status, also as a secondary component;
• precision agriculture and digital solutions at farm level.

Polytunnels must have a galvanised metal or metal-reinforced PVC structure, UV-treated film with a lifespan of at least 4 years, and ventilation windows. Projects to build greenhouses and polytunnels must include irrigation systems. The following are not funded: land and buildings, tractor units, UTVs, second-hand equipment, annual plants and their planting, or crop maintenance costs.

How is the project scored?

The scoring grid has a maximum of 100 points:

• Organic crops: 20 points for certified organic production on the entire project area, 15 points for crops in conversion;
• Protected spaces: 25 points if greenhouses and polytunnels exceed 50% of the project area, 15 points for 25–50%, 10 points for 15–25%;
• Low-environmental-impact technologies: up to 35 points (15 for storage, conditioning or processing, 10 for renewable energy of at least 2% of the eligible value, 10 for efficient irrigation or an estimated reduction in water consumption of over 15%);
• Associative form: 20 points for cooperatives, producer groups and organisations, and also for their members.

The online system does not accept applications whose estimated score is below the threshold for the current month. Until 31 October, the threshold is 40 points. Overstating the score makes the project non-compliant.

How and by when do you apply?

The funding application is submitted exclusively online, at afir.ro, with a qualified electronic signature. The deadline is 31 October 2026, 16:00. The AFIR announcement states that the call window may close before the deadline if the value of submitted projects reaches 150% of the allocation. The first 5 calendar days of each monthly stage are exempt from this rule. The funds counter published by AFIR showed, at the time of checking, 7 submitted projects with a public value of €659,469, against an allocation of €5 million. Even so, it is unwise to leave your submission to the last week.

Proof of co-financing (bank statement or loan agreement) is presented at contracting: within a maximum of 3 months for simple procurement or 6 months for complex procurement, from the selection notification. Projects involving construction need a feasibility study or DALI prepared under HG 907/2016.

What this means for your business

Our recommendation: if you have a flower or medicinal plant farm registered with APIA, October is the right time. With a threshold of 40 points, a project with polytunnels on more than half of the area (25 points) and drip irrigation (10 points) still needs another 5 points, for example from renewable energy or storage. If you are a member of a cooperative, the 20 points for the associative form count for a lot.

Pitfalls we often see:

• a farm not registered with APIA before submission;
• overstating the score in pre-scoring;
• secondary components (irrigation, processing, energy) that end up weighing more than the core investment;
• price quotes from suppliers linked to each other, which AFIR checks in the ONRC (Trade Register);
• differences in area between the project and IACS.

Farms above €12,000 SO receive only 65%, so they need higher co-financing. You can quickly check where you fit with the eligibility check. Small farms that also grow other products can compare with DR-14 for small farms, but cannot apply under both interventions for the same crops.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for DR-18 as a natural person?

No. The guide excludes natural persons. You must be organised at least as a PFA, sole proprietorship or family business, and the farm must be registered with APIA before submission.

How much will I receive if my farm is €15,000 SO?

For farms of at least €12,000 SO, the intensity is 65% of eligible costs, with a ceiling of €100,000 of public support per project. You cover the remaining eligible costs and all ineligible costs from your own resources.

What minimum score do I need in October?

From 1 to 31 October 2026, the quality threshold is 40 points, which is also the minimum selection threshold. The platform does not allow an application with an estimated score below the threshold to be uploaded.

Can the call window close before 31 October?

Yes. According to the AFIR announcement, submission stops if the submitted projects reach 150% of the €5 million allocation, except for the first 5 days of the monthly stage.

Can I fund a polytunnel without irrigation?

No. The guide requires projects to build greenhouses and polytunnels to include irrigation systems, and polytunnels must meet the minimum requirements for structure, film and ventilation.

Official sources

• AFIR – DR-14 and DR-18 project submission call windows
• AFIR – Launch announcement for the DR-18 call window (A1.2/01/2026)
• AFIR – DR-18 details and annexes
• DR-18 applicant's guide, version of 4 August 2026
• AFIR – Available funds counter

Information checked on 2 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.