Torres Vedras, Portugal, Feb. 3, 2026 (Lusa) - The Minister of Agriculture announced in Torres Vedras on Tuesday a €40 million support package aimed at restoring agricultural potential damaged by bad weather.
José Manuel Fernandes announced "additional support to the €40 million already announced for the restoration of productive potential. To access this support, the damage must exceed 30% in terms of farming".
The non-repayable grants are intended for farmers in the 68 municipalities where a state of emergency has been declared.
Since Thursday, when the notices were issued, 190 people in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region alone have reported their losses, which are estimated at €18 million so far, the minister said.
The Minister of Agriculture was speaking to journalists during a visit to a farm in the municipality of Torres Vedras.
The tomato production greenhouses, a project involving an investment of almost €1 million built in 2022, were almost completely destroyed, with bent metal structures and damaged plastic, one of the partners told Lusa.
"We had planted tomatoes a week before Storm Kristin and were left with nothing. There were 22,000 plants here and we managed to salvage 5,000, because the greenhouse structure collapsed and most of the plants were buried or damaged by the winds," one of the partners, Diogo Antunes, told Lusa.
The farmer estimated the loss at between €500,000 and €600,000.
"We produce 600 tonnes of tomatoes annually, which we will not be able to produce. We have no work for our nine employees, and we will have no income," he warned.
Ten people have died since last week as a result of the bad weather. Civil Protection recorded five deaths directly associated with the passage of storm Kristin, and the Marinha Grande City Council announced another fatality, to which were added four deaths recorded due to people falling from roofs (during repairs) or carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator.
The total or partial destruction of homes, businesses and equipment, fallen trees and structures, road and transport service disruptions, particularly railways, school closures and power, water and communication outages are the main material consequences of the storm, which has left several hundred people injured and homeless.
Leiria, Coimbra and Santarém are the districts with the most damage.
The government has declared a state of emergency for 69 municipalities until next Sunday and announced a package of support measures worth up to €2.5 billion.
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