La agricultura de Aragón acusará a la sequía ante el Ministerio.

The Department of Agriculture, Advanced and Food in the Government of Aragon will request the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAP) to include the provinces of Teruel and Zaragoza among the beneficiaries of a new direct aid package with funds from the European Union totaling 20 million euros. The main objective of this aid is to mitigate the effects of the drought on fruit crops in these territories in 2024.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food reported that in 2024 there were numerous extreme weather events that affected the supply of emergency aid to affected producers. It was noted that provinces like Almería, Murcia, Alicante, Valencia, Castellón, and Tarragona were the most severely affected.

Furthermore, the impact on production was significant, with almond production in southern provinces decreasing by 30% in 2024 compared to the average production of the previous five years. Due to the dry nature of these crops, it was impossible to provide water through irrigation support.

The Department of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food data revealed that almond production in the dryland province of Teruel was 4.2 million kilograms in 2024, which was 35% lower than the average production from 2018 to 2023. This data supports the inclusion of Teruel in the royal decree.

It was highlighted that the aid should be allocated based on agricultural regions rather than provinces to prevent distortions in data. The previous year, nearly all regions in Teruel and several regions in Zaragoza were affected by drought, prompting the implementation of measures to alleviate the impact on crop production.

The government of Aragon allocated 8.2 million euros in aid to the most severely affected regions, benefiting over 6,300 recipients in 304 municipalities. Additionally, farmers in Aragon sought over 24 million euros in loans to mitigate the drought’s effects, with the region receiving the highest amount of aid.

In December 2024, the Aragon government introduced the Centralized Portfolio Guarantee (IFGC-G) financial instrument to address the sector’s difficulty in accessing credit for agricultural investments, including tree planting. This mechanism, funded with 13 million euros, aims to facilitate credit access on more favorable terms.

The significant impact of the drought in the region over the past two years underscores the need for direct aid to fruit producers in certain areas of Aragon. The data presented should compel the Ministry of Agriculture to support the eligibility of these regions for direct subsidies. This initiative is crucial to supporting the agricultural industry in Aragon.

FUENTE