Compensation for frost damage to cereal and oilseed rape growers discussed

Support of €3.3 million is available for fruit and berry growers affected by spring frosts, against a request of €3.8 million for the latter. The Ministry of Agriculture says that the money will be transferred soon, but that the amount of compensation will decrease proportionally to the number of applications. The ministry also promises to compensate cereal and oilseed rape farmers for their losses, but it is not yet clear how much money will be needed to do this.

Vice-Minister Gediminas Tamašauskis said that not only berry growers and gardeners, but also cereal and oilseed rape growers were affected by the frost. The Ministry of Finance will decide on support for them.

„Material has been collected showing that almost 9,000 hectares of crops in 18 municipalities have froze. They are assessing all the information and submitting their conclusions to the Ministry of Finance, which will use the state reserve to compensate farmers for these losses," the deputy minister said at a meeting of the Seimas Committee on Rural Affairs. 

At present, €1.1 million from the EU and €2.2 million from the state budget have been allocated to berry growers and gardeners. The latter have submitted applications for €3.8 million. 

„As the amount of funds exceeds the possibilities, the payment of compensation will be recalculated proportionally and slightly reduced“, – said G. Tamašauskis.

„The National Paying Agency is preparing to compensate the affected farmers in the near future according to the available funds“, – he added. 

BNS wrote that in Lithuania, early warmth led to faster crop growth, but later in April and May frosts severely damaged apples, currants, berries, cherries, pears and plums. This led to a state-level emergency declaration.

Farmers' payments for emergency financial support must be made by 30 April 2026.