The Government increases the budgets allocated to Agriculture

The Secretary General of Agriculture and Food, Carlos Cabanas, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the Congress of Deputies, that the budget of the General Secretariat marks a continuity of the objectives of the agri-food and rural development policies agreed for this legislation , looking for maximum effectiveness in the application of funds.

In his appearance, Cabanas explained that the consolidated budget of the General Secretariat for the year 2018, has an increase of 1.39%, amounting to 7,462,689,160 euros. Some budgets, he has indicated, that give priority to actions involving European co-financing, and to commitments with the autonomous communities and other entities, taking into account the degree of compliance with previous commitments, funds transferred and amounts not executed.

Competitiveness and quality of productions and markets

In his review of the different policies of the General Secretariat of Agriculture and Food, Cabanas explained that for the competitiveness and quality of production and agricultural markets, the budget for 2018 has a donation of 44,084,530 euros.

An amount, he pointed out, that is used, among other concepts for the work of companies producing crops and livestock products, for the new line for the “promotion of products and markets of arable and industrial crops,” the “management and the promotion of the rationalization of the means of agricultural production “and for the” registration of plant varieties “which also increases its budget, maintaining support for the sectors of great importance with initiatives such as the” wine and fruit and vegetable information system “. of the low hill olive “.

As for livestock production, has indicated that it has supported the “promotion of livestock production and markets, as well as conservation, improvement and promotion of livestock breeds through a National Plan that increases its concentration in an entity 57 , 14% and for the optimization of livestock production means promoting the “integrated management of animal feed”.

Regarding the transfer of capital, which has a budget of more than 36 million euros, has highlighted the collaboration with the Autonomous Communities in the new line of “improvement of the fruit and industrial crops sector” (€ 4,000,000), in the necessary tests to know the “quality of plant varieties, the monitoring of the certification of reproductive materials” that increases their endowment and in the “promotion of livestock improvement and conservation of biodiversity”.

The budget for the “promotion of the modernization of agricultural machinery and technology” (€ 5,000,000) and the collaboration with the “Spanish Federation of select cattle associations” is also dedicated, which also increases its allocation (€ 4,600,000) ).

Agrarian Health

With regard to the competitiveness and quality of agricultural health, the program to which € 35,798,450 is earmarked, Cabanas has highlighted the support for outward productions, with the line “Support for foreign trade and control of agricultural and livestock border “That maintains an amount of € 3,516,000, as well as the actions of” traceability and registration of agricultural production “that have € 1,554,760.

The Secretary General has also highlighted the collaboration with the Autonomous Communities in the maintenance of surveillance efforts in the prevention and control of pests such as Xylella fastidiosa or the apple snail, which consolidates the collaboration of the Ministry with 6,000. € 000 for the “Prevention and fight against pests”. Funds are also earmarked for the “State programs for the eradication of animal diseases” (€ 8,000,000) to compensate farmers for the slaughter of their animals as a result of eradication programs, all in the framework of co-financing with the UE.l “.

Agrifood Industry

To promote the policies of the General Directorate of the Food Industry, the general secretary explained that there will be a budget of € 25,314,340, highlighting the increase in the budget for the “promotion and support of the internationalization of agricultural products, fishing and agri-food “which will have € 7,083,770, in addition to creating a” Food Strategy of Spain “through which the promotion will be supported inside and outside our borders taking advantage of the existing synergies between food and other socio-economic such as tourism, culture, education or sports.

It has also underlined the increase in the allocation for the support, management and control of quality systems through the items dedicated to the “actions for the implementation of quality systems and coordination of reference laboratories” that will have 2.307.730 €

On the other hand, Cabanas has indicated, increase the budgets destined to the promotion of the sustainability of the industry of the sector through the support to the “improvement of the agroindustrial competitiveness” and the fight against the alimentary waste.

Some actions, said the Secretary General, which are complemented by support for the policy of transparency and structuring of the agri-food sector through measures for the “improvement of the functioning of the value chain and the observatory of the food chain.”

Rural development

For the management of the programs of the General Directorate of Rural Development and Forest Policy, Cabanas has indicated that € 307,970,770 will be allocated, highlighting the allocation allocated to the management of water resources for irrigation, for its essential role for agriculture, a chapter that has seen its endowment increased to 57,646,780 €.

He also highlighted the 20% increase in funding to SEIASA to € 18,003,320, to give an impetus to the irrigation modernization strategy, which aims, until 2025, to advance decisively in the modernization of the 800,000 hectares. which are still irrigated by traditional systems, which will mean a very important saving of water and the consolidation of an activity, irrigation, essential for economic development, the improvement of living conditions and the establishment of the population in the rural world .

On the other hand, and for the development of the rural environment, the Secretary General has indicated that this program will be endowed with € 132,079,430, highlighting as a priority the maximum use of the community funds received to finance the Rural Development Programs of the Autonomous Communities for what is endowed the state contribution with € 104,500,000, an increase of 1.46%.

In this line, it has also highlighted the budget allocation for natural roads with a supra-autonomous and island scope. Almost the entire budget for natural roads, has indicated the general secretary, who will have € 13,200,000, will be co-financed which will allow to receive a return of 53% of the fund EAFRD. In addition, other actions are carried out to contribute to the improvement and bringing together of rural areas with high environmental and cultural value to the whole society, through various replacement investments in rural roads and other infrastructures, worth 3,500,000 €.

The lines of ‘Aid to entities of rural women of national scope’, and of “Actions for young people of the rural environment” are also maintained, and the economic endowment for the Excellence Awards for rural women is recovered with € 150,000 recognizing the importance of the generational change in the field for rejuvenation, population setting and promotion of the role of women in rural development.

Within the framework of rural development and for the protection and improvement of the natural environment, Cabanas has indicated that € 119,296,680 will be allocated to fulfill the Ministry’s commitments included in the Forestry Action Plan, which includes a wide range of concrete measures to boost forest management as an essential instrument in the fight against depopulation and abandonment of the rural environment.

Within the framework of the Plan, the general secretary has indicated, the items for forestry prevention and extinction work are maintained at € 83,500,000, the hydrological-forestry restoration actions aimed at defending and fixing the soils on hillsides of forts pending with an allocation of € 17,000,000 and “intangible investments for sustainable forest management” with € 14,000,000.

Aica and Fega

Finally, Cabanas has detailed the budgets for the two autonomous agencies associated with the General Secretariat of Agriculture and Food, such as the Food Information and Control Agency (AICA) and the Spanish Agricultural Guarantee Fund (FEGA).

AICA, the secretary-general has explained, will increase its endowment by 1.53%, with the planned development of new activities to be carried out in the wine sector (INFOVI) and to manage the controls required after the entry into force of the Law of May , Denominations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications of supraautonomic scope.

For its part, the Spanish Agricultural Guarantee Fund will also increase its budget by 1.51%, which will amount to € 6,964,884,620. With this endowment, Cabanas explained, the FEGA will face the distribution of “European Funds for food aid to the most disadvantaged”, which this year will have € 106,482,100, with an increase of 4.39%.

In addition, the secretary general has added, for the management of the program that includes the expenses of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) whose most representative heading is the one dedicated to “direct aid to farmers and stockbreeders and the measures of market regulation with charge to the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) “, will be available in 2018 of € 5,705,500,000, a 1.28% increase.

Finally, Cabanas pointed out, the FEGA also increases its funding for the Rural Development Programs of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (FEADER), which is divided into € 13,319,320 of the “National Rural Development Program” and the € 1,084,298,780 dedicated to autonomous “Rural Development Programs”, representing an increase of 14.22% and 2.10% respectively.

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