Azorean farmers receive support to purchase maize and sorghum seeds - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Agricultura e Alimentação

Azorean farmers will receive support for purchasing maize and sorghum seeds, totaling 2.2 million euros, for fodder production. This funding follows a request by the Azores Agricultural Federation, which was accepted and implemented by the Regional Government, as outlined in a legal document recently published in the Official Journal.

The period for submitting applications to support the purchase of maize and sorghum seeds for fodder or grain maize production for 2024 runs from December 23 until February 7, 2025.

This support is granted as a non-refundable subsidy, with the maximum amount to be granted corresponding to 80% of the eligible amount for the purchase of maize and/or sorghum seeds, up to a limit of 265 Euros per hectare in the case of maize and 145 Euros per hectare in the case of sorghum.

In Regional Implementing Decree no. 22/2024/A of December 10, the Regional Government determines that farmers who have purchased maize and/or sorghum seeds for cultivation this year are eligible for support. 

Among other conditions, farmers who have applied for support in 2024 for aid to arable crop producers under the POSEI sub-programme for the Azores are considered eligible.

According to the Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food, António Ventura, reducing costs and increasing the availability of animal feed is "crucial for the sustainability of the dairy and meat sectors."

This support is justified by the "persistent instability of agricultural markets and production factors" as well as the "increasingly decisive impacts of climate change on agricultural production."

These measures encourage farmers to "adopt sustainable production practices that foster productivity gains and increased competitiveness" on their farms, increasing their "resilience to crises and contributing to regional food safety," says António Ventura.

Maize and sorghum crops are economically sustainable and environmentally beneficial, making them an "excellent alternative for rotation with the typical Azorean pastures," he continued.

This process ensures "ease of storage in the form of silage, providing rapid and digestible energy for cattle throughout the year, reducing production costs," the Regional Government emphasises in the legal document.

In addition, fodder or grain maize production plays a "fundamental role in reducing the Region's dependence on animal feed imports" and "the sector's resilience to climate change effects."

It should be noted that measures to support the purchase of maize and sorghum seeds were already adopted in 2022 and 2023, with Community support, for the production of fodder or grain maize, as a way of ‘mitigating the effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on agricultural markets.’ It is important to ‘continue this support for purchasing these seeds in 2024,’ this time with full regional support.

Support applications must be submitted, along with all the applicable documentation, to the local Agrarian Development Services or via the electronic form available at https://gestpdr.azores.gov.pt, after authentication with the insertion of the identification password assigned for this purpose.