Between 2007 and 2011, the cultivated area for the practice of horticulture has doubled, which evidences the attention given by the Azorean Government to this sector and to regional farmers.

The information was provided by the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry at the end of the 1st Meeting of Horticulturists, held in Ponta Delgada, during which he urged horticulturists to take joint actions with their organisations, whether cooperatives or private companies, to gain logistical capacity and place their products in the market.

Noé Rodrigues mentioned the case of floriculture which currently exports more than two million stems a year, saying that this situation has been made possible due to the joint action of several producers.

"If we draw our attention to what happened at this meeting - in the morning some said that we were not producing anything, but at the end it was mentioned that the funds for the modernisation of farms under the Community Support Framework have exhausted - we can concluded that the investment in the diversification of the regional production base has achieved positive results in the Azores," stressed Noé Rodrigues.

To conclude, the government official mentioned that “there are those who spend their time speaking ill of the Region, but I dedicate my entire time to speak well of the Azores."