The National Federation of Irrigators of Portugal (Fenareg) presented a financing proposal to modernize and develop irrigation until 2030 through multiple Community and national funds, including funds not spent in the Portugal program 2020.
The water workers did the math and say that the 421 million euros of public investment planned to support irrigation until 2030, cover only 34% of needs – 1.254 million euros estimated by the Regadio study 2030 – to develop 134.000 hectares of new public irrigation systems and to modernize existing irrigation works, of which 70.000 hectares have more than 50 years old.
The future PEPAC has only €100M planned to support investment in public irrigation (less 74% than the previous PDR2020) and, in private irrigation, 624 million euros in support measures for investment in agricultural holdings, half of the forecast for the same measures under the PDR2020.
Fenareg made public a proposal for the articulation of funds to meet the needs of investment in irrigation, based on an analysis carried out by the consultancy Agroges, using four funding sources: EAFRD / European Investment Bank (467 million), Recovery and Resilience Program (242 M€), Cohesion Fund and ERDF (482 M€) and Environmental Fund (7,85 M€/year until 2030).
Under the Cohesion Fund and ERDF, irrigators propose the use of 205 million euros of Portugal 2020, considering that this program has more than 3.180 million euros to be executed less than two years before its end.
Within the scope of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, the irrigators propose an increase in funds to finance irrigation in the Alentejo Regional Water Efficiency Plan and the opening for the integration of other Water Efficiency Plans.
Regarding the Environmental Fund, financed mostly with revenue from the Water Resources Fee paid by the irrigators, the Federation proposes that the funds be used in measures to promote water and energy efficiency practices on farms and for the creation and implementation of a sustainable irrigation standard.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food announced the opening of a public tender for 50 million, under PDR2020, to finance four irrigation works in Alqueva – the Póvoa/Moura hydraulic circuit, the 2nd phase of the Reguengos project, the Vidigueira plan and the Messejana plan with connection to Monte da Rocha – and a reinforcement of 46 million euros to support the installation of photovoltaic panels on farms, in agro-industry and hydro-agricultural uses.
