The Minister of Agriculture, Maria do Céu Antunes, guaranteed today that he already signed the drought declaration last Friday, that will encompass 40% of the territory and 67 municipalities south of the Tagus, 14 are in Beja district.
The order will be published in the next few days and will have retroactive effect to 5 May.
“They are 67 municipalities south of the Tagus that are declared drought. However, it is expected that the situation will tend to worsen” in the national territory, reaching more municipalities, justified the minister.
This declaration allows the application of a set of measures that require the approval of the European Commission, such as grazing in fallow areas before 31 July, the flexibility of animal feeding in Organic Production Mode, the extension of the calving interval and the maximum percentage of heifers in the PEPAC suckler cow payment intervention.
Also within the scope of the Single Order, it becomes possible for fallow land to be grazed or used for harvesting, with the exception of corn, soybeans or short-rotation coppice, and that, in the various interventions that provide for the minimum heading of 0,2 Normal heads/ha, the value of 0,1 CN/ha of forage area.
It is also worth highlighting the various measures available in 2022, under PDR2020, to support investment in agricultural holdings. Its execution takes place in 2023 and 2024, ensuring impacts on increasing resilience to the drought phenomenon. “We remember, for example, support for building ponds, to enhance efficiency in the use of resources/precision agriculture, for the installation of traditional permanent crops and for the installation of photovoltaic panels, in an amount made available that is around 160M —, stresses Minister Maria do Céu Antunes.
