The PCP took to the Assembly of the Republic the problems faced by forestry producers in Serra do Caldeirão. The communists, through their deputy Paulo Sá, elected by the Algarve constituency, addressed two questions to the minister of Agriculture, one related to the delay in the transfer of funds from the State to the association that represents these producers and the other related to the rules of use Union funds in this sector.
The questions arose after a meeting held by a PCP delegation, which Paulo Sá joined, with the Serra do Caldeirão Forest Producers Association, in Barranco do Velho, in the municipality of Loulé.
At that meeting, the producers told the communist delegation that there is “delay in the transfer of funds, by the Permanent Forest Fund, to the Association's team of forest sappers”.
«The sums owed by the Permanent Forest Fund, of 40 thousand euros per year, have been delivered late to the Association of Forestry Producers of Serra do Caldeirão. For example, in June 2018 the Association received the last tranche of 2017 and has not yet received any transfer for the current year. This circumstance obviously creates treasury problems for the Association of Forestry Producers of Serra do Caldeirão, which must be overcome with the timely transfer of funds», revealed the communists.
Thus, the PCP wants the minister of Agriculture, Forests and Rural Development to justify "the systematic delay in the transfer of funds, by the Permanent Forest Fund, to the team of forest sappers managed by the Association of Forestry Producers of Serra do Caldeirão" and knowing “what measures will be taken by the Government to ensure an end to these delays”.
At the same meeting, the leaders of this association also complained about the impossibility of using their own means to "realize their projects under the 2014-2020 Rural Development Program (PDR 2020)".
«According to current rules, the Association of Forestry Producers of Serra do Caldeirão can only use its own human and material resources to carry out these projects, up to the limit of self-financing. As the six projects have 2020% funding under PDR 100, the Association is prevented from using its own resources, being obliged to contract them to third parties. It turns out that, due to the recent increase in the demand for means for cleaning the forest, the Association has great difficulty in hiring these means for the execution of its projects», revealed the Parliamentary Group of the PCP.
The communists consider that this situation is not only "absurd", but also "penalizing for the Association of Forestry Producers of Serra do Caldeirão, which has its own sappers and machines for the execution of projects financed by the PDR 2020, namely creation and cleaning of fuel management lanes, but being prevented from using them'.
Thus, the PCP wants the Government to explain why «the Association of Forest Producers of Serra do Caldeirão, as well as all other entities in the same situation, cannot use its own human and material resources to carry out its projects in the scope of the PDR 2020” and say if you do not consider this situation “a contradiction”.
In the question addressed to the Minister of Agriculture, the communists asked the Government to assess the difficulties experienced by associations in the forest sector and to clarify what steps it has taken «to change the rule that prevents entities from using their own means for the execution of PDR 2020 projects”. Finally, they demand to know “when will this rule be changed”.
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