The associations representing the dry fruits and olive cultivation sectors announced that the Agriculture Minister has reinforced the assurance that “there is no plan to increase the Alqueva water price for permanent crops.”
Portugal Nuts – Associação de Promoção de Frutos Secos and Olivum – Associação de Olivicultores e Lagares de Portugal stated they received this assurance from the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, following a meeting last Wednesday in Lisbon.
Nuno Russo, Executive Director of Portugal Nuts, explained today that representatives from the two associations, who had earlier requested an urgent meeting with the minister, were received at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
“The minister reiterated the assurance previously given through the Confederação de Agricultores de Portugal [CAP], that there are no planned changes or increases in water tariffs concerning permanent crops” under the Alqueva Multipurpose Project (EFMA), he emphasized.
On July 24, CAP welcomed the government after receiving assurance that the water price for farmers benefiting from the Alqueva irrigation perimeter in Alentejo would not be increased.
In a statement released that day, the confederation recalled that funds collected during the 2007 hydroelectric concession, along with tax revenues from agricultural activity, “demonstrate a financial surplus” from EFMA.
This assurance was given to CAP by the government following statements by José Pedro Salema, President of the Empresa de Desenvolvimento e Infraestruturas do Alqueva (EDIA), to the Eco newspaper, where he supported updating water tariffs, with a lower price for annual crops and a higher one for permanent crops.
On the same day, in a joint statement, Portugal Nuts and Olivum opposed the potential differentiation of water tariffs in Alqueva and the possible increase for permanent crops, announcing their request for a meeting with the minister.
“Penalizing permanent crops, such as almond and olive, in both water costs and area limitation, is not only a political error but a technical, economic, and strategic mistake as well,” they stated then.
Also on July 24, when contacted, the President of EDIA mentioned that the matter of Alqueva water prices would be analyzed “in due time and proper place,” reassuring various stakeholders that “any change, if it occurs, will always be validated with the sector.”
Portugal Nuts and Olivum stated today that they also discussed with the minister the issue of irrigation allocations defined by EDIA being “insufficient to meet the water needs of olive and almond crops.”
“Allocations have indeed been increasing, but they still fall short, between 20% and 30%, of what is optimally needed for these sectors,” Nuno Russo specified, noting that the issue has been addressed with EDIA, and the associations are awaiting a meeting with the company.
With about 50 members across Alentejo, Ribatejo, and Beiras, Portugal Nuts represents an area of 19,000 hectares of dry fruits.
Established in 2013 and headquartered in Beja, Olivum aims to address new issues in olive cultivation, including the need for sector defense and representation, which was then almost nonexistent. It represents more than 50,000 hectares of olive groves, 20 mills, and about 70% of the national olive oil production.
