He council of Tenerife will invest 3.5 million euros this year to balance the cost of irrigation water and thus avoid raising the price of water to the island farmers. This is one of the main aid measures to the island countryside in the exercise with the largest budget in history for the primary sector. The island president, Pedro Martín, explains: “We reached 35.4 million euros, 8.9 more than in 2022.” He assessed that, between 2020 and 2023, more than 109 million euros have been invested in Agriculture, Livestock and fishing, which represents a 54% increase (38 million) compared to the previous term (2015-2019). “The figure shows that this strategic sector has always been a priority,” he said.
The budget for the primary sector amounts to 35,434,564 euros. It increases by 33.6% (8.9 million) compared to last year and is the largest in history. The island president valued the investment effort “throughout the entire mandate to support and promote the sector.” Even in the global this year it exceeds that of tourism. A novelty in the 2023 roadmap is that 15.3 million euros will be allocated in direct aid to support and sustain local production. The president exemplified those destined to feed cattle that increase from 1.3 to 2.5 million euros. Pedro Martín, who was accompanied by the person in charge of the primary sector in Tenerife, Javier Parrilla, and by the manager of Rafts of Tenerife (Balten), Ana Sánchez, also valued the investment of 14.8 million in agricultural infrastructure and hydraulic and irrigation works. She advanced the aforementioned item of 3.5 million to balance the cost of irrigation water.
Reduce costs
This budget increase includes the implementation of initiatives to help businessmen in the sector to reduce their production costs, one of the axes of the policies of the insular department “without it having meant a decrease in investments and direct subsidies,” Martín emphasizes. He assesses: «Despite the fact that they have not been years of economic prosperity, with a panorama marked by the global health crisis as a result of Covid-19, the inflation of food, fuel and energy, or the war in Ukraine ».
For his part, the Island Councilor for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Javier Parrilla, highlighted a global premise: “We have treated the primary sector as a strategic and professional sector, of businessmen and entrepreneurs.” Parrilla recalled that “between 2015 and 2019 the global investment for Fishing did not reach 700,000 euros, while the items of this government have exceeded 2.5 million.” And in the livestock sector, between 2019 and 2023 “we have allocated more than 28.6 million euros, compared to 19.5 in the previous mandate.”
In his opinion, they are “notable increases that have contributed to maintain our fishing fleet and to stop the fall in the number of farms and heads of cattle”. In fact, in the last four years, the cattle herd has increased by 9.5%. Ana Sánchez highlighted the 8.2 million euros allocated to Balten, an increase of 80% compared to 2022. «In addition to the 3.5 million allocated to maintain the price of irrigation water, almost 1.1 will be used in the change free meters to improve management and savings through digitization”, explained Sánchez.
great lines
Balten’s manager recalled that they work in the re-waterproofing of the Taco Mountain raft, in Buenavista del Norte, the largest on the Island; in the installation of photovoltaic plants in the infrastructures with the highest energy consumption, in the digitization of the entity to improve hydraulic and management efficiency, as well as in the promotion of reclaimed water with the improvement of the pipeline that transports it from Santa Cruz al Valle de San Lorenzo three decades old.
He stressed that, “of the almost 20 million cubic meters of volume supplied in 2022, 55% was regenerated.” Quantity and quality in this water and in desalination as the future of the circular economy and in search of zero discharge, a reality today in the Northeast region (Valle de Guerra Treatment Plant). Agriculture and Rural Development has 7,038,878 euros. 1.2 million will be allocated to direct aid –potato marketing, crop rotation, cut flowers and production of disused land–, 2.2 to agricultural extension for advice and assistance and 390,289 euros to the potato island plan .
Agrifood Quality and Valorization has 2,030,567 euros. It will emphasize the appreciation of local products (336,028) and support for oenology (278,782). It is worth noting the 375,188 euros allocated to the beekeeping sector, an increase of 275% compared to 2022. Livestock and Fishing together have 10,554,918 euros (42.8% more than in 2022). Of these, 5.9 million will go to direct aid – cattle feed, artisanal cheese factories or health care and maintenance of traditional breeds – and 1.1 to extend the suspension of slaughterhouse rates. In addition to 1.2 million for Animal Welfare. The fishing sector item reaches 867,650 euros, 77% more than in 2022. 80% (700,000) will go to direct aid to the ten fishermen’s associations, sustaining productivity or marketing tuna. With a fleet of 210 boats and 370 direct workers.
