The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development, Humberto Vasconcelos, explained that 119 million euros relate to Community funds and 21 million euros come from the region's budget.

Humberto Vasconcelos was speaking at the plenary session of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira, in which he presented today the proposal for a regional legislative decree to define the conditions for the application of Axis F of the Strategic Plan of the Common Agricultural Policy for Portugal to the autonomous region.

The official pointed out that the maximum amount of support for small-scale agricultural investments "goes from 10 to 20 thousand euros", and medium-sized investments will be entitled to support between 20 and 100 thousand euros.

Humberto Vasconcelos defended that this is "a diploma of great importance for the agricultural sector of Madeira", recalling that it is part of a national management that "aims to promote an even more sustainable agricultural and forestry activity in all regions of Portugal".

During the assessment of the document, the socialist deputy Sílvia Silva accused the Regional Government (PSD / CDS-PP) of lack of strategy, pointing out that community money "has not been lacking".

For his part, Rafael Nunes, from Together for the People (JPP), considered that "in addition to community funding," "a new posture of the Regional Government is necessary."

In the same sense, the only deputy of the PCP, Ricardo Lume, criticised that Madeira takes advantage of "Community funds not to guarantee a better benefit for farmers, but to give profits to intermediaries."