The Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of the Canary Islands has granted more than 36,000 euros in aid per area to aloe vera and olive producers within the framework of the Community Support Program for Agricultural Production in the Archipelago (POSEI) for the 2021 campaign.
A total of 37 applicants have been able to access this call, which includes amounts ranging between 100 and 9,000 euros for each producer, depending on the area of the agricultural holdings. This subsidy, financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), has an estimated amount of 500 euros per hectare.
In addition, the call establishes the payment of a supplementary aid of 10% of the amounts to beneficiaries who meet the conditions of young farmers of the Rural Development Program.
In the Canary Islands, nearly 425 hectares of olive trees are cultivated for the production of oil (328 hectares) and table olives (97 hectares), with Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Tenerife being the islands with the largest cultivated area. Regarding aloe vera, there are 93 hectares cultivated in the Archipelago, mainly in Lanzarote.
The General Director of Agriculture of the Government of the Canary Islands, Augusto Hernández, highlights the importance of "supporting farmers who work with different types of plantations with these aids with the aim of diversifying agricultural production."
He also points out that "both the areas of aloe vera and olive crops have been increasing considerably in recent years, with new planting systems that are resulting in a progressive increase in production. Therefore, support from the General Directorate of Agriculture for these crops that generate high-quality products and have the potential to position the Islands among the best producers in Europe is essential."
