The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry stated today that the 2020 Plan for Agriculture in the Azores will boost the development of the sector, ensure the modernisation of farms, provide better working conditions for farmers, reduce production costs and improve the competitiveness of the sector.
 
“After major and substantial investments made in agricultural infrastructures in recent years, such as the regional slaughtering network, the 2020 Plan, aimed at improving farm performance, will grow 16% in the areas of health, genetic enhancement, animal welfare, training and investment support,” stated João Ponte. The Regional Secretary spoke on the sidelines of a visit to the upgrading works of Cemitério rural road, an overall investment of 217 thousand Euros in the village of Santa Bárbara, municipality of Ponta Delgada.
 
With an allocation over 56 million Euros under the 2020 Plan, the government official stressed that nine million Euros will be invested in water supply, agricultural accessibility and electricity supply to farms, which will have a direct impact on improving farmers' working conditions and reducing production costs.
 
Besides these investments, next year's Plan will include the implementation of the Young Farmer programme, the enforcement of the new legal scheme on the cessation of agricultural activity, and the implementation of the investment support measures: I9AGRI and PROAGRI. These measures will further contribute to an increasingly prosperous, sustainable agriculture in the Azores that will be better prepared to meet challenges, value production, boost the income of the entire value chain and attract more young people to the sector.