The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry announced today that the Regional Government will anticipate, later this month, the payment of 14 million Euros to farmers under three PRORURAL+ measures. 

"We plan to proceed with the anticipation of the payment of 14 million Euros to Azorean farmers at the end of September, an amount that would normally only be paid in October," said João Ponte. In this regard, he clarified that this amount corresponds to the anticipation of three PRORURAL+ measures, namely Agri-environment and Climate, Organic Farming, and Payments for areas affected by natural or other specific constraints. 

For João Ponte, the good coordination between the Regional and National Governments in the agricultural sector makes it possible to anticipate the payment of two PRECRURAL PRORURAL+ measures by 85% and the other by 65%, corresponding to figures higher than those paid to farmers in Mainland Portugal. 

If Azorean farmers had been covered by the anticipated payment of 50% of rural development measures that is now taking place in Mainland Portugal, they would have received 9.1 million Euros and not 12 million Euros as mentioned by the Azores Agricultural Federation, stressed the government official. 

The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry also stated that the Regional Government has complied with the stipulated payment schedules. In this context, he pointed out, as example, the anticipated payments of more than 6.1 million Euros, corresponding to 70% of payment requests under PRORURAL + and 30% to the payment of the supplement to the dairy cow premium under POSEI and PROAMAF.