The vice president and counselor of the Presidency, Coordination of Government Action, Interior and Emergencies of the Junta de Extremadura, Abel Bautista, has emphasized the strategic weight of the agricultural sector and the food industry in the regional economy during the opening of the XIV Agro-Food Fair of Navalmoral. At the same time, he has demanded that Extremaduran producers be able to compete "on the same conditions" as those from other countries.
Bautista has highlighted the data that supports the relevance of this activity in the community, recalling that the agri-food sector generates around 3.6 billion euros in production, accounts for nearly 15% of the added value of the Extremaduran economy, and provides jobs for more than 77,000 people. In 2025, agri-food exports exceeded 1.9 billion euros, almost half of the total regional foreign trade.
The vice president has valued "the quality and potential" of the Extremaduran countryside and has defended that the products from the region are on par with, and even above, those from other territories. "We have the best products," he has assured.
For this reason, he has insisted on "the need" to ensure "equal playing conditions for Extremaduran professionals" and has warned that, on many occasions, they are forced to carry out their work "at a disadvantage" compared to those operating in third countries.
In this regard, he has requested that all producers be able to carry out their activities under an equivalent regulatory framework. "If they don't let us, if we have our hands tied, if they have different rules and change the playing field in the middle of the game, we obviously cannot compete on equal terms," he has pointed out.
Support measures and aid to the sector
The regional official has reiterated the commitment of the Government of Extremadura to the agri-food sector through different lines of support. Among them, he has mentioned the currently active aid to modernize and improve farms, which can finance up to 60% of the investment, as well as the support aimed at those who are joining agricultural activity, with amounts of up to 70,000 euros.
Likewise, he has referred to the new call for aid for the promotion and consolidation of self-employment, approved this very week by the regional Executive, endowed with more than 47 million euros and which will reach about 16,000 people, in addition to strengthening aid for generational change.
It has also highlighted the recent improvement of subsidies for agricultural insurance in order to increase the protection of agri-food producers against the risks that condition their activity. "This government listens, dialogues, and understands that there must be an effort for those who make an effort day by day to lift the curtain," it has defended.
Abel Bautista, who has toured the fair alongside the vice president and counselor of Deregulation, Social Services, and Family, Óscar Fernández Calle, and the mayor of Navalmoral de la Mata, Enrique Hueso, has recognized "the work" that is behind an event of this magnitude and has emphasized its value as a space for direct contact between producers and consumers, according to the Junta de Extremadura in a statement.