Friday, March 29

The irrigation campaign runs “normally” in Extremadura, according to the Board


Meeting of the Irrigation Board of Extremadura, held in Mérida. / TODAY

This was highlighted by the Secretary General of Population and Rural Development, Manuel Mejías, before presiding over the Extremadura Irrigation Board this Wednesday

DRAFTING Badajoz

The irrigation campaign in Extremadura, which is about to end, has passed “normally” and “without major incidents”, in a context of a “very complicated situation” due to the drought.

This was highlighted by the Secretary General of Population and Rural Development, Manuel Mejías, in statements to the media before presiding over the Extremadura Irrigation Roundtable on Wednesday, which was held in Mérida, and in which the irrigation campaign was analyzed of this year and issues related to the 5th Irrigation Forum, which will take place on October 6 and 7 in Almendralejo, have been addressed.

In his speech, Mejías valued the work of the irrigation communities, for preventing “farmers from suffering in a campaign like this”, after which he recalled that given the situation due to the scarcity of water resources in which rice crops and corn have been left without watering, from the regional administration “a response has been given” to both sectors, allocating specific aid.

V Irrigation Forum

Also at this Wednesday’s meeting, the holding of the next Irrigation Forum was discussed to “value the irrigation culture in Extremadura”, the Junta de Extremadura reports in a press release.

Specifically, the program for the event has been approved at the table, with the participation of the economist Jordi Sevilla, who will speak about the economy in times of scarcity and will be attended by Ministers of Agriculture from the autonomous communities of La Rioja, Castilla y León, Aragón, Castilla-La Macha and Extremadura, according to the general secretary.

In addition, in said event the hydrological plans will also be addressed with the presence of the presidents of the Tagus and Guadiana Hydrographic Confederations, while Cicytex research staff will address irrigation management in times of drought.

drought table

Despite the seriousness of the situation, at the meeting of the drought table last Monday, no specific measures were adopted to alleviate the lack of water and its economic consequences for farmers and ranchers. It should be said that at the meeting, which was not political in nature and, therefore, without executive power, the situation of the different affected autonomous communities, the most affected sectors or the state of water reserves, among other issues, was analyzed.

The drought is aggravating the situation of the affected communities every day: very high temperatures, it continues without rain and there is no solution in sight. Extremadura, the most affected together with Andalusia, has experienced a campaign with many restrictions, in which very important crops for the region have been reduced: from 22,000 hectares of rice it has gone to 2,000 of rice, corn has been reduced by 50 %, tomato 30%… This implies, above all, the reduction of the income of many farmers, as well as ranchers since there is more expensive feed and fodder because there is less production or less water to drink.


www.hoy.es

Also Read  Zelenskiy's economic guru: 'Germany can survive without Russian oil: I wouldn't want my country facing the shame' | economy

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *