Lisbon, April 21, 2025 (Lusa) - The damage caused by the bad weather in Portugal a month ago caused losses of €5.6 million to agriculture in Lisbon and the Tagus Valley (LVT), according to a survey by the regional coordination and development commission (CCDR).
The vice-president of the CCDR for the areas of agriculture, rural development and fisheries, José Bernardo Nunes, told Lusa on Monday that 216 reports of damage had been received on the online platform open until the 14th.
Of the total number of reports, 143 refer to damage to investments, such as infrastructure, equipment or crops without harvest insurance, with a total loss of €5.6 million.
"The largest number of claims is for micro-tunnels for strawberry production and greenhouses for vegetables in the West region, but there are also some in the Ribatejo region," he said.
These losses may be eligible for the support for restoring productive potential announced by the Ministry of Agriculture.
To be eligible, he recalled, the loss on each farm must be greater than 30%.
Eighty-eight applications do not qualify for the support announced, either because they do not reach the 30% threshold or because they relate to losses or breaks in the production of annual crops, which should have harvest insurance.
"We're talking about potato, carrot, cabbage, onion, almond and rice crops, forestry and affected meadows," he explained.
There were also 12 participations excluded for lack of data.
The minister for agriculture, José Manuel Fernandes, announced support both for restoring productive capacity and for income for farms with losses of more than 30% due to the bad weather of 20 March.
Farmers with losses of up to €5,000 will receive 100% support, 85% between €5,000 and €50,000 and 50% for those with losses between €50,000 and €400,000.
Income support is €42,000 per beneficiary.
The passage of the Martinho depression, with heavy rain, wind and rough seas, caused thousands of incidents on the Portuguese mainland, most of them falling trees and structures, when orange weather warnings were in force, the second most serious level.
FCC/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
