Alijó, Carrazeda de Ansiães, Murça, Penedono, Sernancelhe, Torre de Moncorvo, Vila Nova de Foz Côa and Mêda. These are the municipalities that will receive extraordinary support from the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food will support up to a total of 50,000 euros to farmers in the North and Center of the country, victims of “heavy” damage to apple orchards and vineyards, following the heavy rains accompanied by heavy hail that occurred between May 27 and June 12 this year.
Alijó, Carrazeda de Ansiães, Murça, Penedono, Sernancelhe, Torre de Moncorvo and Vila Nova de Foz Côa (northern region) as well as Mêda (center) are the localities covered by the extraordinary support of the Ministry of Maria do Céu Antunes, published this Wednesday in Diário da República. Thus, a financing is foreseen that “is ensured by the respective DRAP [Regional Directorate of Agriculture and Fisheries], by transferring the budget of the Office of Planning, Policies and General Administration, up to a maximum amount of 50,000 euros”.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food considers that “this support aims to minimize the immediate costs that farmers have had to protect their crops and plants, as well as to ensure future production”.
Considering that this is a “context of exceptional adversity, it is of the utmost importance and urgency to grant support aimed at minimizing the damage to those farms, up to a maximum amount of EUR 55 per hectare of area covered”.
In practice, a maximum of EUR 35 per hectare of affected area for apple orchards and vineyards is required to pay for the costs incurred – for the purpose of minimizing the damage caused – with the purchase of foliar fertilizers and plant protection products. And a further €20 per hectare to cover the costs of applying the fertilizers and plant protection products.
The order defines the rules for granting this extraordinary support, in particular as regards the beneficiaries and the respective amounts, as well as the intervening entities and the procedures to be adopted for its allocation.
The Ministry will also open measure 6.2.2, which supports the restoration of productive potential, under the RDP 2020.
New measures to support the prevention and protection of agricultural production that may be affected by bad weather in the future are under analysis and development.
Farmers have 30 days to apply for this extraordinary support.