The PS (Socialist Party) today recommended the Government to suspend new avocado farms in the Algarve and set environmental sustainability rules for farms with super-intensive irrigation, given the reduction of water reserves in the region.
In recent years avocados have become 'trendy', but they guzzle four times more water than Algarve's traditional orange crops. Known as 'green gold', farmers sell 1 kg of oranges for about 0.5 euros, while a kilo of Avocados sells on average for 2.20 euros, according to the regional agriculture authority. Production costs are also lower thanks to less pest control required.
In a communiqué, announcing the delivery of a draft resolution signed by the Socialist deputies elected by the Algarve, the PS defends the “imposition of limits on the expansion of agricultural areas with super-intensive irrigation in view of the also limited water availability in the region”.
In the draft resolution presented by deputies Luís Graça, Jamila Madeira, Joaquina Matos, Ana Passos and Francisco Oliveira, parliamentarians considered “the correct and prudent setting of rules and limits […], so that everyone can enjoy the future of a resource as precious as it is scarce ”, like water.
"It is indisputable that the farmer must have the freedom to cultivate what he likes most from the point of view of economic profitability", the deputies refer, arguing, however, that there should be rules in view of the limitation of water resources in the region, "not always fully available in view of the priority needs of human consumption".
Socialist deputies argue that, to the investment of more than 200 million euros in the scope of the Water Security Plan for the Algarve, included in the Recovery and Resilience Plan, it must “correspond the same effort of saving and efficient water management by all sectors of human activity”.
In the document, the parliamentary group recommends that the Government, through the ministries of Environment and Climate Action and Agriculture, establish “within a maximum period of 90 days, minimum conditions of environmental sustainability to be observed for new explorations”.
For the deputies, these conditions include the availability of water, by the promoter, under the prior opinion of the national water authority and the “obligation to be the subject of prior communication, which may be reviewed every two years depending on the limits of water availability in the Algarve region".
Original article available in Portuguese at http://postal.pt/
Comments
Still struggling I see, Brook! Never mind, your opinions are as valuable as everyone else’s given a lack of facts.
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Your PROBLEM, seem to BE ... not knowing when to let go. (Does this resonate with you)
You have wrote a lot of nonsense, I tried to read what you had suggested, and it doesn't exist.
FULL STOP.
Irony, Brook. I like it. Good job.
Still struggling I see, Brook! Never mind, your opinions are as valuable as everyone else’s given a lack of facts.
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Your PROBLEM, seem to BE ... not knowing when to let go. (Does this resonate with you)
You have wrote a lot of nonsense, I tried to read what you had suggested, and it doesn't exist.
FULL STOP.
Still struggling I see, Brook! Never mind, your opinions are as valuable as everyone else’s given a lack of facts.
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You seem to be having problems with reading my last comment, I checked information as you had suggested and could not find anything to back up your claims.
Water usage (please link to in article sources) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/17/chilean-villagers-claim-british-appetite-for-avocados-is-draining-region-dry
Poverty (and this is before the impact of pandemic): https://borgenproject.org/poverty-in-portugal/ Again, please use the links provided in the article for source materials.
If you could provide some sources to support your thoughts and comments on these subjects it would be appreciated. I am struggling to find anything (from sources other than those with direct business interests) to support an alternative view.
Quoting Stuart Wood:
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I read the global scarcity report and did not see anything referring to this claim, regarding oranges V avocados .
I checked the EU stats on poverty and Portugal did not future.
I would suggest that you try reading other newspaper for information and don't rely on just one source, also use Google and wikipedia and then form your opinion.
• Portugal's infrastructure, I have found to be in reasonably good shape, roads, electricity and water. How the water company manage to keep water flowing in taps during the extreme dry season of March to November amazes me every year. I have never read anything about 200 billion promised for water!
• poverty, is in most developed countries, i know that in the UK, citizens are forced to go to food banks as the Tories have cut benefits for people and banks are charging high mortgage rates.
Wrong on all counts, Brook!! Did you read the article I linked to? Also, Google it separately. Also, look at EU data on poverty etc. Also, see below... one of many articles on the same subject.
"According to the global scarcity report, the avocado “requires four times more water than the production of a kilo of oranges and ten times of that of a kilo of tomato.” Unfortunately, countries that grow avocado are already facing drought and water shortages."
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•Tree plantations need a licence and also require proof of ownership and a Tax licence to sell the product once harvested. I could not imagine anyone investing thousands of Euros, in a plantation if they did not have all of the necessary documents first, as these plantations can be monitored by Government officials and police. Almost 100% of the harvest will be exported to Spain and i have learned that, Avocado tree's use less water than orange tree's.
• Portugal's infrastructure, I have found to be in reasonably good shape, roads, electricity and water. How the water company manage to keep water flowing in taps during the extreme dry season of March to November amazes me every year. I have never read anything about 200 billion promised for water!
• poverty, is in most developed countries, i know that in the UK, citizens are forced to go to food banks as the Tories have cut benefits for people and banks are charging high mortgage rates.
In the public domain Brook... https://www.portugalresident.com/furious-avocado-spat-in-lisbon-augurs-well-for-activists-in-algarve/
128 hectares of trees planted with no public hearing or permits.
The continued failure of the PT government to fulfill its social and moral obligations is really mind boggling (electricity, infrastructure, taxes, public and animal health and welfare to name a few). Over 20% of the population live in poverty. I hate to think where the EU rescue money will finally end up once it is released, never mind the 200 billion that has been promised for water conservation.