Lisbon, June 12, 2026 (Lusa) - Farmers affected by the storms that hit Portugal at the start of the year will have access to €30 million in support, following a request to Brussels to activate the agricultural reserve.
“This is the first time Portugal has requested activation of the agricultural reserve (crisis reserve) to address the drop in income suffered by farmers affected by natural disasters,” said the Minister for Agriculture and the Sea, José Manuel Fernandes, in a statement sent to Lusa.
According to the government, the European Commission recognised “the fairness and justification” of Portugal’s request, providing the maximum possible support.
This amounts to €30 million to support the incomes of farmers affected by the storms.
The amount in question comes from the agricultural reserve, which is a financial instrument of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), designed to respond to market disruptions, price fluctuations and crises affecting both food production and distribution.
This instrument has an annual allocation of €450 million, which the 27 member states can access.
Brussels has already prepared the draft implementing regulation, which provides for an extraordinary support package intended not only for Portugal but also for Croatia, Cyprus, Romania and Slovenia.
The draft stipulates that Portugal will receive the largest share of this package, namely €30 million.
This is followed by Romania (€14.8 million), Cyprus (€4.6 million), Croatia (€4.6 million) and Slovenia (€2.8 million).
The Government has the flexibility to define the priority sectors.
The ministry led by José Manuel Fernandes also emphasised that support for the agricultural sector now totals €475 million.
This includes, for example, €60 million from the state budget (OE) for the repair of irrigation systems, €184 million in credit lines financed through the state-owned business development bank, the Banco Português de Fomento (BPF), the reallocation of €41 million from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) to forestry through new Integrated Landscape Management Operations (OIGP), plus €20 million for investments exceeding €400,000.
Under the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy (PEPAC), specifically for the restoration of productive potential, with investments ranging from €10,000 to €400,000, €40 million has been made available to districts facing calamities and €50 million to the remaining districts.
Portugal was hit by a series of storms between late January and mid-February, which mainly affected the country’s Central region.
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