The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and the Environment revealed today that who 824 farmers have applied to the support line created by the Azorean Government to provide a financial compensation on the charges with loans for farm investments.
 
"These applications cover a loan volume of 79 million Euros," Neto Viveiros said, adding that, even though the deadline ends on Friday, August 19, "a total of 230 processes have been reviewed and approved, corresponding to a support of 350 thousand Euros."
 
The Secretary for Agriculture spoke at the opening of the Complex of Bardo da Cruz Water Reservoirs in the village of Santo António in the municipality of Ponta Delgada. He said this measure was determined by the awareness of "the substantial investment [modernisation] made by farmers and the challenges they face, namely in the dairy sector."
 
In his speech, Neto Viveiros highlighted the compliance rate of 107% in the opening of the tender included in the Regional Public Works Charter for investment in land with higher agricultural potential. In this regard, the government official revealed that the water storage capacity "reaches this terms 650,000 m3 and covers almost 5,000 farms on all islands."
 
"I am pleased to highlight that, despite being an investment that needs to be pursued and increased, the investment we opened today includes the 61 works launched this legislative period through IROA in the agrarian planning perimeters of the region," said the government official.
 
The Regional Government made an overall investment of about 12 million Euros in new contract works for the construction and improvement of agricultural and rural roads, water supply and electrification, excluding maintenance works.
 
For Neto Viveiros, it is "a reproductive public investment that benefits private activity" since it contributes to "the reduction of costs and the improvement of the working conditions of producers."
 
"Your work generates more income and more wealth to our islands and our people. It creates more jobs and more business opportunities, said Neto Viveiros, who addressed the farmers attending the ceremony.
 
The new Bardo da Cruz reservoirs serve 1,300 hectares of pasture, which will now benefit from an increase in the storage capacity for 1,200 to 1,800 m3 of water.