FEADER 73.03 — Investments in non-agricultural businesses ("off-farm")

Territory: Guadeloupe. 2023–2027 programming period. Official notice version 4, entered into force on 2 December 2024.

1. Purpose and objective

The 73.03 intervention supports the development, modernisation and diversification of businesses that process, market or add value to agricultural and forestry production. It aims to strengthen outlets for local supply chains, the competitiveness of rural businesses, employment and the creation of added value in Guadeloupe. Objectives: increase the added value generated from local agricultural production; strengthen links between producers, processors and distributors; develop new markets and short supply chains; improve competitiveness, productivity and working conditions; encourage innovation, the bioeconomy and differentiation through quality; reduce waste, improve effluent treatment and develop biomass recovery; create and maintain rural jobs; support the diversification of businesses in the equine sector and the forest-timber sector. The measure mainly concerns the downstream end of agricultural production: processing, storage, packaging, distribution and marketing. Productive agricultural investments carried out by a farmer or a group of farmers normally fall under 73.01. Exception: equine sector projects are directed towards 73.03, including certain livestock projects.

2. Supported projects and investments

A. Agri-food processing: creation or modernisation of a processing workshop; acquisition of preparation, processing or packaging machinery; development of new food products from local production; modernisation of production facilities; improvement of quality, consistency, food safety and working conditions; promotion of local produce and Guadeloupean culinary know-how. Investments must concern agricultural products covered by Annex I of the TFEU, excluding fishery products. The final product may, in certain cases, no longer fall under this Annex. Products outside Annex I used as raw materials are only eligible under the restrictive conditions of the notice, in particular where they represent less than 50% of the operation's output and are necessary for processing.

B. Marketing and short supply chains: creation or modernisation of municipal or inter-municipal markets, producer shops, local collection and reception networks, storage, sorting, packaging, wrapping, transport and marketing; spaces for pooling supply; technologies improving traceability, quality and market placement. The project must contribute to better valuing agricultural production, opening up outlets or meeting local demand.

C. Waste and the circular economy: equipment reducing processing waste; effluent treatment; wastewater treatment facilities; recovery of organic matter in channels useful to agriculture; energy recovery from agricultural or forestry biomass; improvement of process efficiency. Quality and food safety management systems may be eligible where they are directly linked to physical investments.

D. Equine sector: setting up or developing an equine business; modernisation of equipment and facilities; development or enhancement of equids; investments related to their use; equine breeding projects.

E. Forest-timber sector: machinery and equipment for forestry work; felling, extraction and skidding; transport and storage of timber; specialised rolling stock; platforms and sheds; primary timber processing equipment (sawing, slicing, peeling or milling) and marketing.

F. Innovation and intangible assets: software; patents, licences, copyrights and trademarks; feasibility studies; engineering, consultancy, architecture, plans and technical studies; commissioning services; support activities linked to project development. Overheads are capped at 10% of total eligible expenditure. Feasibility studies may remain eligible even if their conclusions lead to the physical investments not being carried out.

3. Potential beneficiaries

Private or public businesses.
Public authorities and their groupings.
Trade organisations (interprofessions).
Technical institutes and centres.
Chamber of Agriculture.

4. Eligibility conditions

Be up to date with social security contributions and tax obligations.
Carry out an investment located in Guadeloupe. For mobile equipment or certain intangible investments, the purpose or place of use must concern the regional territory.
Comply with the rules on the commencement of the operation: where applicable, expenditure must not be physically completed or fully implemented before the application is submitted.
For beneficiaries other than public authorities and operations exceeding €200,000 excluding tax, provide a three-year business plan. The business plan must describe the initial economic and financial situation, the market, development objectives, means of action, technical and environmental choices, and financial forecasts. It includes in particular a projected income statement, a financing plan and a short-term cash flow plan.

5. Conditions relating to raw materials

Investments must concern the processing, marketing or development of agricultural products covered by Annex I of the TFEU, excluding fishery products, subject to the exceptions set out in the notice. Case of aged rum:

FEADER where the distillation process is immediately continuous, without going through the white rum stage: the input product is then sugar cane.
FEDER where the process is not immediately continuous and the input product is white rum. Do not automatically direct all distillery investments towards FEADER.

6. Grant amounts and rates

Minimum projected expenditure: €15,000 excluding tax.
80% for newly created businesses.
80% for businesses whose average turnover over the three years preceding the application is below €1,000,000.
80% for new activities within existing businesses.
80% for public authorities and their groupings.
80% for operations located in a double-insularity zone.
65% for other operations not meeting the above criteria.
FEADER co-financing: 85% of the public aid. Background: the previous V4 notice mentioned €7,000,000. The PSR V6, in force since 27/04/2026, and the dedicated official page both indicate a public aid ceiling of €7,500,000 per operation; the operational value adopted is therefore €7.5 million.

Newly created business: active in the SIRENE register for less than 12 months at the date of application, not resulting from a merger, restructuring, extension or takeover of an existing activity by the same beneficiary. New activity within an existing business: an activity never previously carried out and corresponding to the development of a new product. An improvement to the processing process or a new marketing concept applied to an existing product does not constitute a new activity.

7. Financial instruments and advance payment

Honour loan ("prêt d'honneur"): ticket of €35,000 to €50,000.
Public aid rate under a financial instrument: 80%.
Working capital eligible under certain conditions, within a limit of €50,000 gross grant equivalent over three financial years for activities falling under Article 42 of the TFEU.
Certain costs of transferring property rights may be eligible.
A grant and a financial instrument may be combined for the same operation within the limit of the maximum public aid rate.
An advance of up to 50% may be paid subject to regulatory conditions. The 85% FEADER rate corresponds to the European share of public funding and is not added to the maximum public aid rate.

8. Eligible expenditure

Construction, acquisition or improvement of real property.
Purchase or lease-purchase of new or second-hand machinery and equipment, within the limit of market value.
Overheads linked to the investments: consultancy, engineering, architecture, feasibility studies.
Software, patents, licences, copyrights and trademarks.
Creation or renovation of roads and various networks linked to the investment.
Staff costs directly assigned to the operation with a fixed allocation percentage above 15%.
Indirect costs calculated at a flat rate of 15% of eligible direct staff costs. Second-hand equipment must in particular be accompanied by a declaration from the seller as to its origin and the absence of public funding over the previous five years. Its price must be lower than that of similar new equipment and it must comply with applicable standards.

9. Excluded or restricted expenditure

In particular: fines and financial penalties; contractual financial penalties; legal and litigation costs; exceptional charges falling under account 67; dividends, except for the exception provided for certain staff costs of unsalaried managers of SMEs; "octroi de mer" tax; staff costs where the time allocation is below 15%; staff holding permanent civil service positions in the State civil service for the organisations concerned; in-kind contributions not meeting the regulatory conditions; lessor margin, refinancing costs, overheads and insurance linked to leasing. Land purchase beyond 10% of total eligible expenditure is excluded for the excess portion under the notice. VAT is only eligible where it is not recoverable by the beneficiary.

10. Selection of applications

Selection is mainly carried out through calls for projects, and to a lesser extent on a rolling basis. Minimum selection threshold: 165 points according to the PSR V6 scoring grid (to be checked against the grid of the applicable call). Criteria: business competitiveness (15); improvement of working conditions (5); job creation or maintenance of activity (15); contribution to meeting local market needs (15); new processes, products or organisations (10); valuing local production (20); impact on resources, the environment and climate (10); energy performance (10).

11. Budget and submission

Announced FEADER budget: €16.5 million for 2023–2027. The scheme may operate through calls for projects or continuous submission depending on the terms of the operation. Online submission on EUROPAC: https://europac.regionguadeloupe.fr/ Before submitting, check the open call, the notice and its annexes, eligible expenditure, the aid scheme, the applicable ceiling and any requirement for a business plan.

12. Capital OS matching

Offer 73.03 to Guadeloupean businesses or organisations considering: processing local agricultural production; creating or modernising an agri-food workshop; developing collection, storage, packaging or distribution; opening a producer shop or modernising a local market; improving the treatment of waste, effluents or wastewater from a processing process; valuing biomass; investing in the equine sector; investing in forestry, primary timber processing or timber marketing.

Qualification questions:

Is the project or place of use located in Guadeloupe?
Does the applicant belong to an eligible category?
Is the project about processing, marketing, developing agricultural products, the equine sector or the forest-timber sector?
Is projected expenditure at least €15,000 excluding tax?
Is average turnover over the last three financial years below €1 million?
Has the business been active for less than 12 months in SIRENE?
Is the activity genuinely new within the meaning of the notice?
Is the project located in a double-insularity zone?
Is the operation above €200,000 excluding tax?
Has the project already started?
Are the raw materials eligible with regard to Annex I of the TFEU?
Reach the minimum threshold of 165 points set by the PSR V6 and check the scoring grid of the call in force. Do not automatically direct productive agricultural investments towards 73.03: consider 73.01. The equine sector is an explicit exception. For aged rum, check the continuity of the distillation process.

13. Managing authority and contacts

Région Guadeloupe — Delegated Europe Directorate, FEADER-FEAMPA Processing Directorate. Address: Parc d'activité Le Metis, chemin de la Retraite, Convenance, 97100 Baie-Mahault. Telephone: 05 90 41 75 21. Email: projets-feader-feamp@regionguadeloupe.fr. Submission: https://europac.regionguadeloupe.fr/

Official sources:

FEADER 73.03 official page: https://www.europe-guadeloupe.fr/financement/feader-region-guadeloupe_investissements-entreprises-non-agricoles/
FEADER 73.03 Notice V4, entered into force on 2 December 2024: https://www.europe-guadeloupe.fr/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Notice73.03.pdf
FEADER Guadeloupe PSR V6, applicable since 27 April 2026: https://www.europe-guadeloupe.fr/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/PSR_FEADER_V6.pdf
FEADER project applicant guide: https://www.europe-guadeloupe.fr/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GuideppFEADER2327_V1-2.pdf

Written content, currently under editorial review — this is not an eligibility assessment; only your personalised report applies your company's actual criteria.