The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry stated that the visit of the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Phill Hogan, to the Azores in June is an excellent opportunity to highlight the proper implementation of Community funds. It will also draw attention to what still needs to be done, while pointing out the specificities of the archipelago as an Outermost Region.
 
"The Commissioner’s visit to the Azores is a good opportunity to show the proper implementation of funds and the improvement of the sector in terms of quality. It will, above all, show that we are an Outermost Region with increased production costs that have to be offset," stressed João Ponte. On the occasion, he added that there is still a long way to go in terms of modernisation and innovation and, as such, Community support is needed.
 
The Regional Secretary visited several agricultural and rural roads located in the central area of São Miguel Island to assess a series of interventions deemed necessary for the maintenance of roads and new investments. He was accompanied by the president of the Agricultural Association, Jorge Rita, the president of IROA, Ricardo Silva, and the Regional Director for Forest Resources, Anabela Isidoro.
 
João Ponte stressed that when the Azorean Government demands and defends that the next Community Support Framework should grant more funds, the aim is to continue the work towards the modernisation of the sector and, above all, to provide farmers with better conditions so that they reduce production costs and boost their income.
 
"What we want to do until the end of this term, which also coincides with the end of the current Community framework, is to use all the funds granted for this purpose to improve the agricultural sector in terms of quality," stated the government official. In this regard, he added that the government official has already invested 30 million Euros since 2014.
 
João Ponte revealed that the Government has made a "very significant" investment in electrification and water supply to farms on São Miguel Island, recognising that more investments in infrastructures are needed and, consequently, the next Community Support Framework should provide adequate funding for this purpose.