Brussels, July 13, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, José Manuel Fernandes, on Monday called for "intelligent water management" to reduce water loss to the sea through increased storage.

“We must manage water intelligently with several objectives in mind: human consumption, agriculture, industry and civil protection,” he said, speaking on the sidelines of the European Union (EU) Ministerial Council for Agriculture and Fisheries.

“We cannot let all the water flow into the sea; we must store it so that we can distribute it later,” he added, noting that “there is another investment that comes before all of this, and that is saving. We must save water, but then we must manage it, using interconnected networks if necessary”.

Fernandes pointed out that Portugal has an ongoing investment programme in the agricultural sector, with projects currently under way totalling more than €600 million, but he also noted that there are dams “where the water could be used for agriculture but is not being used” and others whose reserves could also be used for human consumption but are currently reserved solely for producers.

Adding that there is as yet no indication of a drought this summer, the minister also emphasised the need to conserve water, both in the mains supply and in agricultural irrigation systems.

IG/AYLS // AYLS

Lusa