The Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha announced on Friday that the new agricultural machinery call will attend to one hundred percent of the submitted and qualifying applications with 20 million euros in subsidies to cover up to 42% of the investment costs.
As detailed by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, and Rural Development, Julián Martínez Lizán, in a press conference at the Delegation of the Junta de Albacete, resolutions will begin on April 7, with a non-extendable deadline until August 31 to make the machinery purchases.
Lizán highlighted that this will represent a total investment of 46 million euros — including private funds — to the agricultural sector of the region, benefiting 928 farms.
The Minister described the financial aid as an improvement in «competitiveness, sustainability, and profitability» allowing «access to equipment that reduces energy consumption and enhances the efficiency of our farmers.»
The call, initially budgeted at 10 million euros, has doubled in amount thanks to the rescue of funds from other allocations following regulations and due to the closure of the Programa de Desarrollo Rural 2014-2022 (PDR). This will enable the acquisition of over 1,800 units of tools and equipment, including 338 sprayers and atomizers, 250 tractors, 216 GPS-guided systems, 182 pruners for pruning waste, 116 precision seeders and direct seeding, and 64 harvesting machines.
Since 2016, the regional Government has invested over 397 million euros, mainly from European funds of the PDR and recovery mechanisms, in what Lizán has called «a tremendous commitment» that has benefited «7,100 farms to have a more sustainable agriculture for the future.»
«We can proudly say that in Castilla-La Mancha, we are modernizing the sector and standing by the farmers,» emphasized the Minister of Agriculture.
Lizán also emphasized that this is a «significant support for young farmers» who often face the challenge of making a substantial investment to start in the sector by acquiring machinery.
«Comparisons are odious, but in the first call for young farmers, Castilla-La Mancha had about 1,200 incorporations while other regions had 42 applications,» he recalled, ensuring that «here, we are committed to generational renewal that must be accompanied by new technologies and financial support.»
TARIFFS A «COMPLETE AND ABSOLUTE CHAOS»
Regarding the impact of the new tariffs announced by the United States Government, Lizán stated that they represent «a complete and absolute chaos» for everyone, and even the American agricultural sector «is already expressing its dissatisfaction.»
According to the Minister, the trade war «affects primarily the most vulnerable and humble families,» and the economic uncertainty is having a global impact due to stock market declines.
«Our current trade relationship with the United States in agri-food production is that we sell products worth 130 million euros and buy about 70 million,» Lizán detailed, offering a positive balance of 60 million currently, estimating that the impact of tariffs will affect the entire region in various ways, including wine regions like Valdepeñas and areas producing cheese and wine.
However, the Minister of Agriculture highlighted that the region has shown resilience and growth in previous crises such as «the pandemic, the war in Ukraine,» or the economic sanctions previously imposed by President Donald Trump during his previous term.
Lizán mentioned that they are awaiting the response measures from the European Union and expressed Castilla-La Mancha’s support for the agreement reached in the Committee of the Regions.
The Minister advocated for «negotiation and dialogue» and to put «pressures and demonstrations of strength in the background,» opting to strengthen economic ties with Mercosur and the main trading partners of the region — Portugal, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, or Italy — to mitigate the effects of the tariffs.