News
FEADER grants for fruit and vegetable machinery: packaging, grading and automation
- 29/06/2026
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FEADER grants for fruit and vegetable machinery are an opportunity for fruit and vegetable centres, citrus warehouses and agri-food industries to invest in packaging lines, grading machines, palletisers, labelling machines, conveyors and automation. The call is open until 25 July 2026 and investments can be executed until June 2028.
By Ana González, CEO and Agricultural Engineer – Industrial consultant in energy efficiency and grant management at AGB Ingeniers
The fruit and vegetable industry now has a window of opportunity: there is little time left to apply for FEADER grants, but the execution period until June 2028 allows ambitious investments in machinery, packaging, grading and automation to be planned. If your fruit and vegetable company needs to renew packing lines, incorporate grading machines, automate processes, improve packaging or increase production capacity, FEADER grants may be an important opportunity. But the call is open only until 25 July 2026, so the application must be prepared now.
There is little time left to apply, but there is room to execute
The fruit and vegetable industry in the Valencian Community has an important opportunity to modernise its production processes, improve its working capacity and prepare strategic investments in machinery, packaging, grading and automation.
FEADER grants are now active, but, as mentioned above, the call is open only until 25 July 2026. This means that interested companies must act now, review their planned investments and prepare the necessary documentation with enough time.
At the same time, the execution period for investments extends until June 2028, which offers broad scope to plan growth projects, line renewals, the incorporation of new machinery or process automation.
This combination is key: there is little time left to apply for the grant, but there is room to execute ambitious investments. That is why now is the time to study the project.
At AGB Ingeniers, we help fruit and vegetable companies, citrus warehouses and agri-food industries analyse whether their investments can benefit from FEADER grants, prepare the technical and administrative documentation, justify the project and process the application with a technical, strategic and results-oriented vision.
An opportunity to modernise fruit and vegetable centres and citrus warehouses
Many fruit and vegetable companies need to continue growing, automate processes, improve their packing capacity, reduce times, strengthen traceability or adapt their lines to new market requirements.
In this context, FEADER grants can be a very interesting tool to address investments that many industries already had planned: new treatment lines, packaging machinery, electronic grading machines, weighing systems, labelling, palletising, conveyors, transfers, grading machine software or process automation.
For a fruit and vegetable centre, renewing or expanding machinery is not just a matter of production. It is a decision that affects competitiveness, response capacity during the campaign, product quality, internal efficiency and the ability to work with greater safety during activity peaks.
A more efficient packaging line, a more precise grading machine or a well-planned automation system can help reduce bottlenecks, better organise product flow, improve planning and increase service capacity.
That is why FEADER grants should not be seen only as a subsidy. They are an opportunity to rethink how the company wants to grow between now and 2028.
What fruit and vegetable machinery can benefit from FEADER grants
Within investments linked to the agri-food industry, FEADER grants can include machinery and equipment related to transformation, packing, grading, packaging and the improvement of production processes.
In the case of fruit and vegetable companies and citrus warehouses, investments such as complete treatment, packing and grading lines for fruit and citrus, electronic grading machines, packaging machinery, filling machines, weighing machines, automatic palletisers, labelling machines, wrapping machines, strapping machines, Flow Pack lines, conveyors, collectors, transfers and automation systems can be analysed.
Complementary investments related to electrical installations, compressed air, management software, grading machine software, barcode readers, scanner guns, monitors, UPS systems or other equipment linked to the productive operation of the plant may also be assessed.
The key is to study each investment within the company’s real project. Not all items fit in the same way and not all are justified in the same manner. That is why it is important to review the project with technical criteria before preparing the application.
Packaging, grading and automation: three key areas for growth
In a fruit and vegetable industry, the process of packing and preparing the product requires precision, speed and adaptability. The campaign can concentrate large volumes of work in very specific periods, and any improvement to the line can have a direct impact on productivity.
Grading makes it possible to classify the product with greater precision, improve batch homogeneity and respond better to commercial requirements. Packaging machinery helps adapt product presentation to the sales channel, improve times and reduce manual tasks. Automation makes it possible to organise flows, reduce errors, optimise resources and increase the plant’s response capacity.
These investments can be especially important in fruit and vegetable centres working with fruit, citrus, vegetables or other perishable products, where speed, quality and internal organisation are decisive.
Investing in machinery does not only mean buying equipment. It means improving the way the company works, organises itself and competes.
Why the execution period until June 2028 is an opportunity
One of the most interesting aspects of this call is that, although the application must be submitted before 25 July 2026, investments can be executed until June 2028.
This allows companies to design projects with a broader vision. It is not necessary to limit the approach only to small immediate actions. A more ambitious industrial plan can be studied, with phased investments, line renewals, capacity expansion or the progressive incorporation of machinery and automation.
For many fruit and vegetable industries, this execution margin can be key. It allows suppliers to be coordinated, real needs to be reviewed, installations to be organised, spaces to be adapted, campaigns to be planned and investments to be executed without improvisation.
But in order to take advantage of this long execution period, a solid application must first be submitted within the call deadline.
That is why the urgency lies in the application. The opportunity lies in the planning.
Requesting a quotation is not enough: the application must be well prepared
One of the most common mistakes in this type of grant is thinking that having a planned investment and requesting several quotations is enough. In reality, a FEADER grant application requires much more.
It is necessary to correctly identify the eligible items, prepare three comparable quotations for each investment, technically justify the need for each action, organise the administrative documentation, prepare the technical report and review the criteria that may influence the score of the file.
In investments in fruit and vegetable machinery, it is also important that quotations are well defined and consistent with each other. It is not just about submitting offers, but about demonstrating that the investment responds to a real company need and that it is correctly planned.
A well-prepared application can avoid delays, correction requests and subsequent problems. Above all, it makes it possible to present the project with greater solidity.
Until when can FEADER grants for fruit and vegetable machinery be applied for?
FEADER grants for fruit and vegetable machinery, packaging, grading and automation can be applied for until 25 July 2026. Eligible investments may be executed until June 2028, allowing fruit and vegetable centres, citrus warehouses and agri-food industries to plan modernisation projects with sufficient margin, provided that they prepare the application within the established deadline.
Which companies should review whether they can benefit from these grants
Any agri-food company in the Valencian Community planning to invest in production machinery, packing lines, grading, packaging or automation should review as soon as possible whether its project can benefit from FEADER grants.
This includes fruit and vegetable centres, citrus warehouses, cooperatives, packing companies, food processing industries, packaging companies and businesses that want to improve their production capacity before 2028.
Companies considering renewing old machinery, reducing dependence on manual processes, improving traceability, increasing production capacity or preparing the plant for new customer and market requirements should also analyse it.
The call has a clear deadline. That is why waiting too long can reduce the margin to prepare the file properly.
The role of AGB Ingeniers in FEADER grants
At AGB Ingeniers, we support agri-food companies in the preparation, processing and follow-up of FEADER grants for investments in machinery, packaging, grading and automation.
Our work begins with the analysis of the planned investment. We review what the company wants to do, which items may fit, what documentation must be prepared and how the project should be technically justified.
From there, we help coordinate comparable quotations, prepare the technical report, organise administrative documentation, review scoring criteria and submit the application in an orderly way.
The experience of AGB Ingeniers in approved FEADER grant files provides an added guarantee for companies that want to submit their application with confidence. We know the reality of the Valencian agri-food industry and we know that a good application is not improvised: it is worked on from the beginning.
An opportunity to grow and improve processes
FEADER grants are an opportunity for the fruit and vegetable industry to undertake investments that can shape its evolution in the coming years.
Renewing a grading line, incorporating new packaging machinery, automating processes, improving internal logistics or expanding packing capacity can help the company become more competitive, more efficient and better prepared to respond to market demands.
But the opportunity requires acting in time.
The call is open until 25 July 2026, and although investments may be executed until June 2028, the application must be prepared now.
At AGB Ingeniers, we help fruit and vegetable and agri-food companies in the Valencian Community transform their investments into well-planned, well-documented projects prepared to access the available grants.
If your company is thinking of investing in machinery, packaging, grading or automation, now is the time to review whether it can benefit from FEADER grants.
Frequently asked questions about FEADER grants for fruit and vegetable machinery
Until when is the call for FEADER grants for fruit and vegetable machinery open?
The call for FEADER grants for agri-food industries is open until 25 July 2026. Companies that want to invest in fruit and vegetable machinery, packaging, grading or automation must prepare their application before that date.
Until when can eligible investments be executed?
The eligible investments of this call can be executed until June 2028. This allows modernisation projects to be planned with sufficient margin, provided that the application has been correctly submitted within the call deadline.
What fruit and vegetable machinery can be included in FEADER grants?
Investments in treatment, packing and grading lines for fruit and citrus, electronic grading machines, packaging machinery, filling machines, weighing machines, palletisers, labelling machines, wrapping machines, strapping machines, Flow Pack lines, conveyors, transfers and process automation can be analysed.
Can electronic grading machines be subsidised?
Yes. Electronic grading machines can form part of eligible investments when they are linked to the production process of an agri-food company and are correctly justified within the project.
Can packaging lines and Flow Pack lines benefit from the grants?
Yes. Packaging lines, Flow Pack machinery and other equipment linked to product presentation, preparation or transformation can be analysed within an agri-food investment project.
Can palletisers, labelling machines or conveyors be included?
Yes. Automatic palletisers, labelling machines, wrapping machines, strapping machines, conveyors, collectors and transfers can form part of an eligible investment if they are linked to the improvement of the production process.
Why is it advisable to prepare the grant with a specialised engineering firm?
Because a FEADER application requires identifying eligible investments, preparing three comparable quotations, technically justifying the project, organising documentation and submitting a solid file. A specialised engineering firm such as AGB Ingeniers helps work on the application with greater confidence from the outset.
Can AGB Ingeniers manage the entire process?
Yes. At AGB Ingeniers, we support agri-food companies from the initial investment analysis to document preparation, technical report, application submission, file follow-up and investment justification.