The Monitoring Committee of the PDR 2007/2013 meets in the village.

AT THE MEETING IT WAS INFORMED THAT ALL SUBSIDY ORDERS FOR THIS YEAR HAVE ALREADY BEEN PUBLISHED.

Yesterday, the rooms of the COAGRISÁN Cooperative welcomed the members of the Monitoring Committee of the Rural Development Program of the Canary Islands 2007/2013, whose meeting was also attended by the Head of Unit of Rural Development Programs at the European Commission for Spain, Silvia Michelini, and the Area Head of the General Directorate of Sustainable Development of the MARM.

The work day included the participation of representatives of the main agricultural organizations of the Islands, spokespersons for FECAI and FECAM, representatives of Local Action Groups, unions and the Ministry of Environment and Territorial Planning.

A good part of the day was dedicated to the presentation of the Annual Interim Report in which data on banana production was provided., tomato, vituculture and livestock farms.

Regarding the tomato sector, reference was made to the factors that have caused a negative effect on many farms and companies.: pests, drop in value per ton, weight loss in destination markets and EU agreement – Morocco.

The Strategy for this sector has made it possible to carry out actions and allocate a greater financial allocation, which has been confirmed with the recently published modification of the POSEI. In this sense, Technicians from the Ministry of Agriculture reported on the content of the expansion of the Strategy requested by the European Commission.

In the lines and measures of the PDR, the items and aid destined for integrated production and, especially, the ecological one, According to counselor Pilar Merino, it should be “the only exploitation system in Canrias that differentiates us from the others”.

On the other hand, The representative of the European Commission indicated that the level of execution of the PDR, currently set at a 5,5%, must be increased to avoid loss of funds. For this reason,Silvia Michelini suggested an increase in the level of execution and certification of expenses.

The head of the Agrarian Structures and Rural Development service, Ricardo Gonzalez, presented the modifications that are going to be addressed to the European Commission focused on the measures 321, 322 and 323, among others.

TOP UP.

If something caught the attention of the representatives of the tomato sector present at the meeting, it was the presentation of new aid, called with the Anglo-Saxon term TOP UP.

The technicians from the Ministry of Agriculture explained that this is aid intended for the sector in which the European Commission does not make any financial contribution., but it does authorize its viability. Government of the Canary Islands and MARM will co-finance the 50 percent.

This aid is part of the Strategy for Export Tomatoes and will be valid for three years..