The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry stated today that agricultural cooperatives in the Azores, regardless of their size, are of paramount importance for their support to farmers as well as for development and value creation in the agricultural sector. 

"The contribution made by cooperatives over the years is undeniable in terms of processing the milk produced, reducing production costs, as well as also in the monitoring and proximity advice they provide to farmers," said João Ponte. The government official spoke on the sidelines of a visit to the Ajuda da Bretanha Agricultural Cooperative in the municipality of Ponta Delgada.
 
During the visit, the government official was accompanied by the presidents of São Miguel Agricultural Association, Jorge Rita, the president of São Miguel Young Farmers' Association, César Pacheco, and Pedro Costa, member of the Board of Directors of Unileite. On the occasion, he stressed that the role of cooperatives was fundamental during the pandemic phase, whether in the adaptation of the sector to a new reality or in the dissemination of official information and compliance with the established rules. 

João Ponte, who also visited a milk farm in Ajuda da Bretanha, stated that the Regional Government is committed to the implementation of a set of measures for the restructuring of the dairy sector in order to "speed up the process of improving farm efficiency and rendering the sector even more competitive and profitable." 

As for the cessation of agricultural activity, recently approved at the Legislative Assembly, the Regional Secretary noted that older farmers will have better conditions to leave the sector with dignity, while encouraging rejuvenation, resizing, reparcelling and diversification of agricultural activity. 

The Regional Secretary also mentioned that the restructuring of the dairy sector in the Azores will be carried out through the conversion of dairy farms into suckler farms on the islands of São Miguel, Terceira and Graciosa, in addition to the possibility for producers to reduce the number of animals and milk production by 20%, maintaining the support granted under POSEI.