The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, Livestock and Fisheries has made public in the Official Journal of the Valencian Community (DOGV) the resolution with the first aid measures aimed at holders of agricultural holdings located in zones H1 and H2 of the huerta of València. In this initial resolution, financial support is granted to 402 holders of agricultural holdings based in this area of special protection.
This aid program has a total amount of two million euros, fully funded with the Generalitat’s own resources. The established base aid amounts to 1,500 euros for each subsidizable hectare, to which an additional 500 euros per hectare is added in the case of young holders, as the regional administration has detailed in a statement.
The Minister of Agriculture, Miguel Barrachina, has stated that "farmers who work in the huerta of València have to face specific limitations derived from the huerta protection regulations." And he added: "This, together with the limitations they were already experiencing, was causing the abandonment of land to multiply by three."
Barrachina emphasized that "these aids aim to reverse that trend and support those who protect the huerta the most: its farmers."
Zones H1 and H2 correspond to the spaces of special protection with the highest agricultural, livestock and landscape value in the huerta of València. In these areas, stricter restrictions are applied, in particular regarding the transformation of irrigation systems, the reordering of plots and the construction of new buildings, with the aim of preserving the traditional huerta landscape.
The minister underlined that "the protection of the territory and economic activity must move forward hand in hand." "Our goal—he went on to say—is that the huerta of València preserves its environmental, cultural and landscape values, but also that it continues to be a productive space, with farmers and holdings that have a future".