Portugal’s Minister of Agriculture announced this Tuesday (February 3) a €40 million support package to help farmers who have seen their livelihoods affected by recent storms.
Speaking to journalists during a visit to a farm in the municipality of Torres Vedras, José Manuel Fernandes said the measure represents “additional support to the €40 million already announced for the restoration of productive potential”.
To be eligible, farms must have suffered losses exceeding 30%, he said, adding that the non-repayable grants are aimed at farmers located in the 69 municipalities where a state of emergency has been declared.
According to the minister, since the support notices were opened last Thursday, 190 damage claims have already been submitted in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region alone, with losses estimated so far at around €18 million.
During the visit, Fernandes toured tomato production greenhouses that were almost completely destroyed by storm Kristin. The facility, built in 2022 with an investment of nearly €1 million, suffered severe structural damage, including bent metal frames and torn plastic coverings.
“We planted tomatoes a week before storm Kristin and were left with nothing,” one of the project’s partners, Diogo Antunes, told Lusa. “There were 22,000 plants here and we managed to salvage 5,000, because the greenhouse structure collapsed and most of the plants were buried or damaged by the wind.”
The farmer estimated losses of between €500,000 and €600,000.
“We produce around 600 tonnes of tomatoes a year, which we will now be unable to produce. We have no work for our nine employees and no income,” he said.
Since last week, ten people have died as a result of the severe weather. Civil Protection recorded five deaths directly linked to storm Kristin, while the Marinha Grande municipal council reported another fatality. Four additional deaths were caused by falls from roofs during repairs or carbon monoxide poisoning from generators.
The storms caused widespread damage, including the total or partial destruction of homes, businesses and equipment, fallen trees and structures, road and transport disruptions – particularly on rail lines – school closures and power, water and communications outages. Hundreds of people were injured or left homeless.
Leiria, Coimbra and Santarém are the districts most severely affected.
The government has declared a state of emergency in 69 municipalities until next Sunday and announced an overall support package of up to €2.5 billion.
Source: LUSA
