The President of the Government stressed today that the work developed in partnership in recent years has provided the regional agricultural sector with the conditions to take the "next step" and overcome the challenges it currently faces.

"The challenges that lie ahead of us, such as the dismantling of the milk quota system, deserve our special attention, as they have already deserved," said Vasco Cordeiro, who spoke at the opening of the groundwater abstraction borehole in Almagreira, Santa Maria Island.

On the second day the Government's statutory visit to this island, the President of the Government stressed that we cannot "forget the path that has been followed over the years, providing the Azorean agricultural sector with the necessary conditions to take next step, namely in terms of production."

"The fact is that production provided an excellent response to the challenges of quantity and quality. On the part of the Regional Government, there has been effort to supply water and electricity to farms and to improve the accessibility to farms," stressed Vasco Cordeiro.

According to the President of the Government, this partnership between public and private entities has allowed to overcome various challenges that Agriculture was facing and represents the confidence that new challenges will be overcome.

"This means that we are all united in this partnership that has yielded results that have boosted the competitiveness of one of the main sectors of our economy," said the President of the Government.

In his speech, Vasco Cordeiro also mentioned that the work opened today on Santa Maria is a good example of the effort that has been carried out so that Azorean agriculture can be better prepared for the future.

"These three components - water supply, electricity supply and improvement of access roads - are part of a process that, in addition to what has been done, remains the path through which we can continue to strengthen the regional agricultural fabric, providing it with the conditions to enhance its competitiveness and develop its activities," said the President of the Government.

In this regard, Vasco Cordeiro announced that another thirty contract works are ongoing or about to be launched on several islands. These interventions are specifically intended to provide farms with better conditions.

As for Santa Maria, the President of the Government announced the contract work for the Water Supply System of Caminha Velho de Santa in Vila do Porto will be launched this year. With an estimated budget of 80 thousand Euros, this work will be carried out with the cooperation of Santa Maria Agricultural Association.

The entry into operation of the water supply system in Almagreira, which represents an investment of 350 thousand Euros, is a strategic water reserve that benefits all farms on Santa Maria, stretching over an area over four thousand hectares.

The opening of this work was one of the purposes of the Government's statutory visit to Santa Maria Island, which included a meeting between the Regional Government and the Island Council that was held Monday.

After this meeting, the President of the Government stressed that the Government provided all the clarifications requested by the Island Council on a number of matters pertaining to Santa Maria.

"As for the Island Council, I believe the questions posed by its members were quite clear and, on the part of the Government, there were clear answers given to these questions," said Vasco Cordeiro.