The Executive continues announcing measures to face the episode of drought that the country is going through. On this occasion, as announced by those responsible for the Ecological Transition and Agriculture portfolios, the Government has announced measures worth 2,190 million euros between direct aid and tax reductions. In the first place, Minister Luis Planas has explained initiatives for the amount of 784.2 million euros that demonstrate, in his opinion, “the decisive commitment of the Government to support the primary sector and the rural world, which responds to the current moment and that also responds to what has been the path of action of the Government of Spain in this legislature”. On the other hand, Minister Teresa Ribera has announced the investment of 1,400 million euros in fiscal measures and emergency hydraulic works.
Among them, there will be a disbursement of almost 700 million euros in priority actions to alleviate the situation in the hardest-hit basins and improve their water resources.. There will also be a reduction of 57 million in fees in the most affected areas. In the Guadalquivir basin, the fee corresponding to 2023 will be reduced by 50% and the same with the water use fee. “This government wants to accompany the primary sector in what depends on the hydrographic confederations”, stressed the minister. There will be another investment of 36 million euros, destined to carry out hydraulic works in pumping stations and reservoirs. It will invest in desalination plants in Malaga and Levante. Also in Catalonia, in the Turdera area. In Alicante, the Government will contribute to the reuse of water.
The declaration of interest of the State in Doñana has been approved. The Government will support the works in Matalascañas, to “contribute to the replacement of groundwater pumps”. Transfers to Guadalquivir are authorized, up to 3 cubic hectometres per year. On the other hand, as indicated by the minister, an agreement of 610 million euros has been authorized with the company Acuamed to activate the pipeline between Júcar and Vinalopó and replace the use of groundwater with desalination plants.
In addition, Ribera has announced that the Government has completed the regulatory framework to increase the reuse of water. In this sense, it has set the goal of doubling the use of reused water in urban areas, raising it to 20% by 2027. The head of Ecological Transition has indicated that Acuamed will have permission to activate two “essential” issues. Firstly, invest in a photovoltaic park to reduce the cost of pumping, desalination and hydraulic works. Secondly, it will be allowed to establish a limit on the sale price of desalinated water to “give continuity” to the plan approved last year with the aim of guaranteeing “affordable for irrigators” desalinated water.
Minister Planas has detailed a whole series of measures, starting with direct aid for livestock, agriculture and beekeeping. 636 million euros will be dedicated, part of which will go to complement (70%) agricultural insurance. A measure that, as he stressed, “will have immediate effect and will affect dry land, extensive arable land, olive groves, wine grapes, almond trees, hazelnuts, kiwis, blackthorns, dry land alfalfa, sugar beets and fodder corn”. Regarding this initiative, the minister recalled that “agricultural insurance is one of the fundamental instruments for responding to contingencies such as drought.” Within this package, 335 million euros will be allocated to the livestock sector.
For the beekeeping sector, the Government will dedicate 5 million euros in direct aid to alleviate the damage caused by high temperatures. The amount is added to the 19 million euros that increased in coupled European aid, as the head of Agriculture has pointed out. On the other hand, a fund of 276.7 million euros dedicated to agriculture will be transferred. A whole series of measures that arise “from dialogue, highlighting the Drought Table and the conferences held with the autonomous communities”, the minister wanted to highlight.
Beyond direct aid, the Planas portfolio has adopted a series of tax measures, including the return of the IBI to more than 200,000 farms, which represents close to 53 million euros.. The deferral of the payment of social contributions for five months to more than 730,000 workers and the extension of the reduction of laborers to access the agricultural unemployment benefit has also been established.. With immediate effect, the personal income tax and corporate tax exemption for PAC aid is applied, which will be made more flexible and extended until June 30, as reported by Luis Planas.
Farmers consider the measures insufficient
Following the announcements made by the Government this Thursday, the Coordinator of Farmers and Livestock Organizations (COAG) has issued a statement denouncing the insufficiency of the aid undertaken to mitigate the impact of the drought in the agricultural sector. “80% of the agricultural territory is already suffocated by drought and more than 5 million hectares of cereals will not have a harvest,” the letter warned.
The general secretary of COAG, Miguel Padilla, wanted to highlight the difficult situation that cereal crops are going through. “From now on, extraordinary direct aid should be provided for cereal growers, who in many cases will not harvest any,” he stressed, “we are talking about the most expensive sowing campaign in history with the shortest harvest in the century. and that is unassumable. The insurance does not solve in these cases the large losses that are carried over”.