The Junta de Andalucía has decided to strengthen its support to the agricultural sector after intense rains Registered in March, which have left both benefits and new challenges for the Andalusian countryside. He Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Ramón Fernández-Pachecoannounced this Sunday in an interview that the regional government will “complement” the aid already planned by the DANAS October and November with new measures “where it is required”, attending to the damage caused by recent temporal.
Fernández-Pacheco He explained that the rains of the late 2024 had already caused significant damage, for which the Board He designed a package of aid aimed at both municipalities and affected farmers. However, before the disbursement of these funds has been completed, March rainfall has generated a new emergency situation. “Hands to work, start from scratch again where necessary, complement the help of those months where it is required, and be on the side of the sector,” said the counselor, underlining the administration’s commitment to the producers.
At the moment, teams of the Counselingtogether with the agrarian regional offices and territorial delegations, they are evaluating the impact of rains on rural roads and agricultural farms. According to Fernández-Pachecoin some farms it has been possible to access for the first time this weekend to analyze the damage, which will allow the new support needs to be dimensioning.
BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF RAINS
Despite the damages, the counselor highlighted the positive side of rainfall, qualifying them as “beneficial” for agriculture and livestock. “They have arrived at an optimal moment,” he said, highlighting the recovery of pastures and the increase in water reserves in the reservoirs, which improves the endowments available for irrigation. “Imagine the amount of pastures that have been recovered throughout the territory,” he added.
With this panorama, Fernández-Pacheco anticipated that the drought committees, which will meet next week, analyze the possibility of expanding irrigation endowments and more flexible water restrictions. Although he avoided specifying concrete measures, he affirmed that “the restrictions will be fully lifted where you can and partially believe that in all areas”, depending on the capacity of the reservoirs and local needs.
Response to municipal demands
Asked about the request of the City hall of The line of mitigating limitations to Water consumptiona lawsuit shared by other consistories, the counselor considered it “logical and normal.” “Nobody likes to have restrictions, and the Junta de Andalucía guarantee that he does not like to put them either,” he said, defending that these measures seek to guarantee the short and long term resource. “No one guarantees us that after this storm train does not stop raining and we throw ourselves another year and a half without a drop falling,” he reflected.
In the case of Gibraltar fieldwhere the restrictions were especially severe due to drought, Fernández-Pacheco He stressed that recent rains have transformed the situation “180 degrees.” This will benefit both municipalities and irrigators from an area with great agricultural productive value.
Inequality in reservoirs
The counselor also addressed the disparity in water storage levels between provinces. While in Almería The reservoirs barely reach 10% of their capacity, in Seville They touch 100% and in Huelva They exceed 80%. This structural inequality, according to Fernández-Pachecorequires a water policy based on “good planning and constant infrastructure investment.”
For areas with higher rainfall, such as Huelva either SevilleHe advocated increasing reservoir capacity and improving networks to reduce losses. In more arid regions such as Almería, he proposed to capture new sources, such as the regenerated water of treatment plants or the desalted. “The solution is not the same for all provinces,” he insisted, betting on strategies adapted to each reality.
With these measures, the Junta de Andalucía It seeks not only to alleviate the immediate effects of the rains, but also lay the foundations for sustainable water management and continuous support to the agricultural sector, one of the economic pillars of the region.
