Lisbon, Nov. 5, 2024 (Lusa) - Portugal's agriculture minister told parliament on Tuesday that his ministry would once again have "management power" concerning regional services, specifying that the vice-president of the CCDRs would be responsible for these services.
"In 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture will once again be closer to farmers, more articulate, since it will once again have management power concerning regional services," said José Manuel Fernandes, who was speaking at a hearing with the Budget, Finance and Public Administration and Agriculture and Fisheries committees.
As the minister said, the new head of regional services will become vice president of the CCDR—Regional Coordination and Development Commissions.
José Manuel Fernandes will have "direct and exclusive" responsibility for this new official.
This solution had already been put forward by the prime minister, Luís Montenegro, in parliament.
On 29 October, the government approved in cabinet changes to how the CCDRs work. These bodies will now have a vice-president appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture, who will share responsibilities with the Ministry of Cohesion.
"Today we have approved a change to the rules and statutes of the CCDRs, which returns control over the regional services of the Ministry of Agriculture to the Minister of Agriculture," said the Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, during the cabinet briefing in Lisbon.
He explained that the changes followed a "legitimate protest" by farmers, who accused the previous government and the Ministry of Agriculture of being "disconnected" from the problems of this professional class.
In the previous legislature, the government (PS) decided to transfer the competences of the regional agricultural directorates to the Regional Coordination and Development Commissions (CCDR), a decision that the sector has contested.
During his opening speech, José Manuel Fernandes said the 2025 budget allows for the development of a more competitive and attractive sector.
The former MEP said that increasing the income of farmers, fishermen, and forestry producers was a priority.
To achieve this, he argued, predictability and stability are needed.
This will allow us to "reduce the deficit in the agri-food complex," which currently stands at €5.7bn a year.
According to provisional figures provided by the minister, the agro-forestry and fisheries complex represents around 5.3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or approximately €14bn, and employs 543,000 people.
PE/ADB // ADB.
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