The Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Forestry announced today that the village of Sete Cidades on São Miguel Island will have an Agricultural Service Station of serve about one hundred farmers, of whom 40 are milk producers.
 
"Fulfilling a claim of the Parish Council of Sete Cidades, and also of farmers, the Government of the Azores will install an Agricultural Service Station in this village," said João Ponte. The government official spoke at the end of a working meeting with the board of the Parish Council of Sete Cidades in the municipality of Ponta Delgada.
 
João Ponte stressed that this station, expected to open this year, is the result of a partnership between the Regional Government and the Village Council with the aim of extending this regional network. It will provide proximity services to farmers from the village and surrounding areas, who will no longer have to travel to the nearest service stations, namely those in Santo António, Arrifes or in Ponta Delgada.
 
Currently, there are about forty Agricultural Service Stations in the archipelago. The last was opened in June and is located in Fontinhas, municipality of Praia da Vitória, on Terceira Island.
 
The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry also added that the Government of the Azores will move forward with the intervention for the remodelling of Arrebentão agricultural road in Sete Cidades during this legislative period.
 
This agricultural road stretches over an extension of 1.2 kilometres, being quite steep. Despite its difficult access, it is quite used farmers, especially when they move livestock from lower pastures to higher pastures.
 
The Arrebentão road is increasingly covered by tourists looking to discover other places of the village and other views over the lakes.
 
João Ponte pointed out that this intervention is very important insofar as it has a "double purpose," comprising an agricultural and environmental component.
 
Moreover, the intervention also aims to prevent the excessive flow of solid of debris to the lakes during rainfall periods, seeing that, due to the steepness of the road, they flow down to body of water.