Due to the lack of rain in Spain, the Ministry of Agriculture this Wednesday convened the Drought Desk, which was attended by political representatives, the Ministry of Industry, autonomous communities, irrigation societies, producer organizations and agri-food cooperatives. The goal of seeking a solution to the serious crisis in the countryside. Those in charge of the agricultural organizations Asaja, COAG and UPA attended this meeting with a clear roadmap: direct and financial assistance for the sector. Farmers also demanded that the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) be relaxed as it was impossible to comply with the requirements due to crop loss. At the end of the meeting, some spokespersons of the agricultural unions expressed their disappointment at the lack of concrete proposals. They have called on the executive to take urgent action and are betting on a Royal Decree on Drought. The appointment was chaired by Under-Secretary of Agriculture Ernesto Abati and was absent in the presence of portfolio head Luis Planas. The ministry promised to work on measures to deal with the million-dollar damage suffered by the rural world and assured that it would send a letter to the European Union to make the criteria for accessing CAP subsidies more flexible.
Pedro Barato, president of Asaja, At the end of the meeting, he pointed out that it is necessary to act now in the face of an emergency.. “The Spanish countryside is not there for diagnoses or excuses, it is there for the Government to approve a Drought Royal Decree with short, concrete, clear and immediate measures,” he said. According to Barato, the meeting has an analytical nature. “We need to paralyze some aspects of the OTP, such as unenforceable ecological regimes or the single digital ledger.” “The situation in the Spanish countryside right now is chaotic,” says Barato, who insists that this is what the autonomous communities of Catalonia, Galicia, Andalusia, Castilla y León, Extremadura or Castilla-La Mancha mean.
Also, the situation is unlikely to improve as the rains in the coming weeks are not expected to alleviate the severe water shortages that the entire country is going through. The most affected sectors right now winter grainssomeone irrigation that will not be able to irrigate due to lack of water And Comprehensive livestock And semi comprehensive that it cannot benefit from rain-dependent pastures for its growth.
“There are very good words from the Ministry of Agriculture, but in the end they lack concrete suggestions”This is a summary of the Drought Chart by Andrés del Campo, president of the Spanish National Federation of Irrigation Communities. These farmers are particularly affected by drought as their crops require plenty of water. “Our current goal is to preserve the lemon or orange crops, because if they are lost this year it won’t be easy to get them back,” says Del Campo. lack of rain.
GOAG spokesperson Andrés Góngora said: expressed himself in the same terms as Barato and Royal Decree of Drought and called for a State agreement to prevent the drought from becoming a “ground for cocaine and political conflict.”
Ignacio Huertas, executive secretary of the UPA (Association of Small Farmers and Ranchers), demanded meeting “at the highest level”Urgently agree “exceptional measures for an exceptional situation” with Luis Planas, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Huertas asked that the budget of Europe, the Government and the autonomous communities be used to implement measures for the sectors most affected by drought. “The most affected are grain, irrigation and livestock,” he explained.
Position of autonomous communities
Catalonian Minister of Food and Rural Agenda Teresa Jordá, who attended the meeting, asked the Government to approve a Royal Decree on Drought. includes direct assistance and tax benefitsto mitigate the effects of persistent drought on agriculture and livestock, among other measures. Leaving the meeting, Jordá stressed that the Government did not propose “any concrete measures” and that at this meeting it was basically “listening” to the parties affected by a situation that was “obvious” in Catalonia’s inland basins. , as in Segura, Guadiana and Guadalquivir, the “red light” of drought.
On the other hand, Isaura Navarro, Minister of Agriculture and Ecological Transformation of the Community of Valencia,Despite reassurances that the regional government had “done its homework”, it regretted such a severe lack of rain. In infrastructures for treatment and reuse of irrigation water.
Andalusian Minister of Agriculture Carmen Crespo from Sevilla He explained that this autonomy is focused on demanding that 90% of the CAP aid be given in October, rather than 70%.as is usually done and for the ministry to use its crisis reserve.