The district political commission PSD Portalegre accused the minister of agriculture this Friday of “failing to speak” with farmers in the context of exceptional crisis support, regretting that the aid was not paid.
“This support is nothing but the assistance that farmers are entitled to, it is not national assistance, it is assistance from Europe,” Fermelinda Carvalho, vice president of the PSD Portalegre District Political Commission, warned.
The party leader, who spoke to reporters at a press conference, recalled that Agriculture Minister Maria do Seu Antunes “realized that she had set” a deadline for payment and that the advance payment of such assistance, namely “50%”, would be paid by the end of May.
“This date was not observed, without any explanation. The minister herself stipulated another date, June 30, again it was not observed, she did not keep her word for the second time,” he said.
The Department of Agriculture announced this Friday that emergency crisis support payments have already been processed and farmers will receive all assistance by Tuesday.
“Payments under emergency crisis support have already been processed by the Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Finance (IFAP),” the Department of Agriculture said in a statement this Friday.
A total of 36,153 applications have been submitted to IFAP and €240 million will be paid.
The payment will be made in two installments and the farmers will receive all the assistance by Tuesday, the ministry overseen by Maria do Seu Antunes assured.
“We don’t know whether this will be done or not, in any case, there were no words from the minister and the prime minister, from the government,” Fermelinda Carvalho accused.
The social democratic leader, also mayor of Portalegre and president of the Portalegre District Farmers’ Association, also added that farmers are “desperate” for exceptional crisis support to meet their commitments to suppliers.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
