Azorean farmers will be able to benefit from a crop insurance for rain risks and strong winds.
The amount of support may reach up to 65% of the premium of collective insurance contracts for the beneficiaries who have taken out the agricultural insurance in the previous year, as well as the premium of the insurance contracts of young farmers in the first year of installation.

A decree published today in the Official Journal establishes that the amount of support stands at 62% of the premium of the insurance contract in the remaining situations.

Created by the Government of the Azores through PRORURAL +, this mechanism aims to provide a financial compensation to farmers, whose income is affected by adverse climatic events that destroy more than 30% of the insured crop.

The crop insurance can be made at any insurance company, as long as it is authorised by the Supervisory Authority of Insurance and Pension Funds (ASF) to operate in this class of insurance in the Region.

The uniform policy of crop insurance stipulates the general and special conditions of insurance, the dates when it starts to take effect and the respective validity dates. It has to be published by ASF within 30 days from today.

After the publication of the uniform policy by ASF, potential beneficiaries may address insurers and make their applications to the crop insurance.

Eligible beneficiaries of this support measure are individuals or legal persons that are active farmers and have taken out a crop insurance under the Agricultural Insurance System.

In the case of collective insurance, eligible policyholders acting on behalf of farmers are producers' groups and organisations, recognised associations of producers' organisations, agricultural cooperatives, commercial companies in charge of the processing or marketing of production, and even farmers' associations.

Through the ordinances published today, the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and the Environment aims to foster the use of agricultural insurance and help farmers facing the risks they are exposed, namely those caused by adverse climate events that affect farming activities.