Grants boost to county sector (From Western Telegraph)

Grants boost to county sector

Over £40 million has been invested into Wales' agri-food sector in the last financial year as a result of the Welsh Development Agency (WDA)-delivered Proc-essing and Marketing Grant (PMG) scheme.

Fifty-nine projects were funded across Wales through the scheme. Of these, 16 large projects and six small projects were helped in west Wales, including a £674,000 project for Puffin Produce, of Haverfordwest.

The PMG scheme funds up to 40% of eligible scheme costs in Objective One areas and 30% in non-Objective One areas. The overall investment figure is £13 million in grant and the remainder in company investment. The PMG scheme is delivered by the WDA using a combination of National Assembly and European funding. It aims to encourage companies to add value to food produce in Wales.

Recipients of support range from farmers moving into processing of their primary produce through to large food processing companies.

John Davies, chairman of the Objective One Agri-Food Partnership, the industry body which develops and supports projects in the sector, said: "This huge level of investment shows how much European funding can support our agri-food sector.

Contact the WDA on 0845 775577.