The Government provided support of more than 20 million euros, through the Environmental Fund, aimed at measures to mitigate the effects of the drought in the Algarve and interventions in the Odelouca and Arade dams, both in the Barlavento Algarvio.
This support is included in the Environmental Fund Budget, which was published yesterday in Diário da República and amounts to 1,8 billion euros.
In a note sent to newsrooms, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Action highlighted, among the measures foreseen in this budget, the «15,4 million euros in support for interventions in the context of the drought in the Algarve» and the funds allocated to works in dams, with 4,9 million euros to use the dead volume of the Odelouca Dam (…) and 350 thousand euros to increase the water availability of the Arade Dam», in the latter case, a novelty.
This support comes at a time when the agricultural sector, in the Algarve, is «particularly sensitive to the effects of climate change, with a drought situation with very significant repercussions» and when there are restrictions on the use of water for agricultural purposes, in the region Algarve, highlights the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission, which went public to announce the officialization of this support.
This entity recalls that its Agriculture and Fisheries division - which results from the integration into the CCDR of the now extinct Regional Directorate of Agriculture and Fisheries - met with the region's agricultural association sector, agricultural confederations, producer organizations and irrigators' associations and presented to the Government "a support program to compensate for the effects of drought and restriction of water use at the level of agricultural holdings and entities managing public hydro-agricultural developments and the proposal for investment measures in new sources of water availability in the short term and improving water efficiency”.
«A period for submitting applications for Operation 2 – Small Investments in Agricultural Farms, for underground water collection (holes), associated pumping system and panels, is now open, from the 29nd until the 3.2.2th of February. photovoltaic plants in the Sotavento Algarvio area, with a total budget allocation of 2 million euros, made available by PEPAC», according to CCDR Algarve.
A Credit Line was also created, called “Treasury Line — agricultural sector II”, with a 100% interest subsidy, payable by IFAP, an instrument whose objective is to “support treasury charges to finance the activity of production operators, processing or marketing of agricultural products'.
«Measures are also being prepared to support investment in the construction of small ponds and reservoirs, as well as to improve water efficiency in hydro-agricultural developments, starting with the financing of the specific PRR measure, monitoring and control of consumption, management intelligent and combating losses in systems, as well as those related to the capture of dead volume from the Arade dam», concludes the same entity.
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