Poland prepares new payments to farmers due to rising fuel and fertilizer prices

The Polish government is preparing additional financial assistance for farmers facing rising fuel and mineral fertilizer costs. Support could amount to 500 zloty per hectare, and compensation for diesel fuel is planned to be increased to 2 zloty per liter.

This was announced by Poland's Agriculture Minister Stefan Krajewski. The authorities intend to combine payments for fertilizers and additional compensation for agricultural fuel costs into one program.

Currently, the standard excise tax refund on diesel fuel for Polish farmers is 1.48 zloty per liter. The new assistance assumes an additional payment of 0.52 zloty, so that the total compensation may reach 2 zloty per liter.

The regular excise refund campaign is already ongoing: farmers may submit documents for fuel purchased from 1 February to 31 July 2026 until 31 August.

A separate part of the new program will concern fertilizers. According to preliminary parameters, the maximum payment will amount to up to 500 zloty per hectare, and assistance is envisaged to be calculated for a maximum of 300 hectares of one farm.

Thus, at the maximum rate, one farm could theoretically receive up to 150,000 zloty in fertilizer compensation.

The program plans to include fertilizers purchased from 1 March to 30 June 2026. Polish agricultural organizations are already demanding to extend this period, since many farms purchased fertilizers in autumn 2025 or before the start of the spring season.

The final rate of 500 zloty per hectare is not yet guaranteed. The government has not yet published the final rules for calculating aid and the start date for applications. Krajewski stated that payments should reach farmers already in 2026.

Funds for support are also allocated by the European Union. The European Commission directed 66.633 million euros to Poland from an emergency aid package for European farmers affected by rising energy and fertilizer prices due to the crisis in the Middle East.

EU countries may supplement European funding with national funds up to 200% of the received amount. Payments under the European program must be transferred to farmers no later than 28 February 2027.

Based on materials from: Rzeczpospolita, Top Agrar Polska, European Commission