“From the fires in August, just in the northern region, we have already received 774 applications. We have assessed 371 and have already paid 143 support payments out of these 371 that have been evaluated, all done in two weeks,” emphasized Luís Montenegro.
The Prime Minister was speaking during a ceremony at the Sernancelhe Town Hall, in the Viseu district, where symbolic financial support of up to 10,000 euros was delivered to farmers affected by the fires.
In this municipality, as of today, 56 applications have been approved, totaling 343,000 euros paid via bank transfer.
On the official page of the North Commission for Coordination and Regional Development (CCDR), Sernancelhe is listed as the municipality with the most declared damage and the highest number of submitted applications.
Sernancelhe Mayor, Carlos Santos, stated that the fires, which affected the area from August 13 to 18, swept through 17 parishes, affecting 15 urban clusters and covering a total of 75% of the municipality, approximately 17,214 hectares. “There were parishes that saw 95% of their area consumed by the flames,” he said.
In describing the damage, Carlos Santos highlighted the risk of losing the chestnut production in Soutos da Lapa, with the largest producers being Sernancelhe, Penedono, and Trancoso (in the Guarda district). “We are facing challenges that require national measures. The chestnut sector, one of the most important in our municipality, suffered a serious blow. The loss of almost 350 hectares of chestnut groves directly impacts the lives of about a hundred producers in the municipality, both immediately and in the next two decades,” he stressed.
The mayor urged the Prime Minister to support a pilot project for the Sernancelhe commons that would allow reforestation with fire-resistant species.
“Replanting chestnut groves with our variety, Martaínha, creating water points, pasture spaces, and designing a resilient landscape could be the legacy for future generations,” he added.
The Prime Minister, accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture and Maritime Affairs, José Manuel Fernandes, and the Minister of the Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, promised support.
“The appeal you made here will not be ignored. The ministers present, who oversee all these areas, including financing, will respond to the various tasks entrusted to us and which are our responsibility to execute,” assured Luís Montenegro.
