The Presidents of the Governments of the Azores and Madeira visited today the Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, at the beginning of the third day of Miguel Albuquerque's visit to the Region at the invitation of Vasco Cordeiro.
 
After visiting the Wine Museum, Vasco Cordeiro and Miguel Albuquerque, accompanied by members of both Governments, travelled to Lajido da Criação Velha, where the President of the Regional Government stressed the potential of wine production to the economic development of Pico Island.
 
"We are not talking about an area that is static and only serves to see how wine production on the island of Pico was made. We have the conditions to increasingly reinforce the wine sector as an economic sector for the island of Pico in compliance with all rules on the classification of this area," said Vasco Cordeiro.
 
Speaking to journalists, the President of the Azorean Government also added that the figures of recent years demonstrate that the Government's commitment to the recovery of vineyards, through public support, is registering a "strong adherence, which will help the sector to stand on its own."
 
Since the creation of regional incentive scheme, the Regional Government has supported 125 private projects, amounting to 2.4 million Euros, for the rehabilitation of more than 121 hectares of vineyards, of which 59 were recovered under protocols signed in 2013 and 2014 for the overall allocation of 1.4 million Euros.
 
As for the maintenance of vineyards, the Region has supported Pico winemakers in the amount of 2.7 million Euros.
 
Under the VITIS programme, a total of 104 projects have for the recovery of 138 hectares of vineyards on Pico Island have been submitted since 2014, representing an investment of 3.8 million Euros.