The Minister of Agriculture, Water, Livestock and Fisheries, Miguel Barrachinawarned that the Regional Executive of Carlos Mazón will continue “to demand for the irrigators of Alicante the water that the Spanish Government allows to be lost in Portugal”.
Barrachina made these statements during the meeting he held with the Central Union of Irrigators of the Tajo-Segura Aqueduct (SCRATS), in which he informed them of all the actions that the Generalitat is carrying out to return water to the irrigators of the Valencian Community.
“The Spanish government is silencing autonomous governments by taking away our right to debate rules of exploitation of the Tajo-Segura and the creation of a technical commission between the Autonomies and the Spanish Government is urgently necessary to analyze the operating rules of the Tajo-Segura Transfer”, indicated the minister.
In this sense, Barrachina explained that the proposal of the Generalitat consists of the Tajo-Segura and the Tajo-Guadiana are governed by the same rules of exploitation, “which guarantees fairness, equality and solidarity, always respecting the basin which transfers the water”.
From the Generalitat “we defend that the rules of operation of the Tajo-Segura transfer are guided by technical criteria and not because of political decisions of a government which condemns Valencian agriculture.
The Minister of Agriculture recalled that the Consell has been demanding action from the central government since March to alleviate the serious drought situation experienced by the Vega Baja region.
“Complaints that have not been paid attention to, because it is obvious that the Sánchez government continues punish THE agriculture of the province of Alicante. Until in 25 times has been cut “The water that comes from the Tajo-Segura is transferred to irrigate our fields, without technical guarantees, only with political motivations.”
The councilor also stressed that, from the Ministry of Agriculture, “we have been informed that from now on we must stop planting winter products, because we will not have the water to be able to water them” and he added that “This decision will transform our orchards into deserts and is the prelude to the need to reduce 10 million of trees.”
Faced with the refusal of aid for the drought by the Government, Barrachina recalled that “it was the Consell which took measures and applied the decree-law establishing AIDS directly to extensive farmers and breeders to combat the effects of drought for an amount of 17 million euros. “Aid which can reach 500 breeders and 29,500 farmers and which can benefit 175,000 hectares.”
Barrachina thanked the representatives of the Central Union of Irrigators of the Tajo-Segura Aqueduct (SCRATS) for their work and dedication to the defense of water and agriculture in the province of Alicante and informed them that “they are not alone in this defense”. because this “Consell will continue to use all the resources at its disposal so that this transfer does not cease to exist”.
The councilor assured that “each decision he takes concerning water demonstrates a lack of sensitivity with our lands and a humiliation for Valencian farmers.
