The Island Council of Lanzarote, through the administrative services of the Area of Agriculture and Livestock, has initiated a prior public consultation for the approval of the regulatory bases for a novel call for subsidies aimed at the island's town councils, intended for the maintenance and conservation of agricultural roads.
This procedure constitutes an essential preliminary step before the drafting of the future regulation, and it is activated with the objective of gathering contributions from potentially affected individuals, entities, and organizations
The president of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, who is also in charge of the agricultural and livestock sector, stated that "this process is a demonstration of how we understand governance; listening before deciding and building stable tools to respond to the real needs of the territory." Betancort recalled that this initiative is part of the government's commitments during his term, and represents "a strategic advance to coordinate, in a planned manner, the improvements that for years have been demanded by the town councils and the primary sector."
The network of rural roads in Lanzarote and La Graciosa, which are municipally owned, constitutes - as the consultation document itself states - a basic support for agricultural and livestock activity, but **it has suffered progressive deterioration due to climatic factors and the increase in tonnage** of modern machinery, causing a deficient state in numerous sections.
In this context, the Cabildo proposes an **economic cooperation** mechanism that allows for the guaranteed functionality of infrastructures essential to the island's economy"A poorly maintained agricultural road increases production costs, hinders access to farms, and can ultimately lead to the abandonment of land," adds Betancort. The public consultation specifically points out that the lack of adequate access is linked to the risk of agricultural land abandonment, and in the case of livestock farms, it affects daily operations, such as milk collection.
A stable roadmap
The Cabildo is committed to a model of regulated subsidies under a non-competitive bidding system, with homogeneous technical criteria, transparency, and equitable distribution of funds, while also preserving the landscape values of Lanzarote as a Biosphere Reserve
Faced with alternatives such as specific agreements or management assignments, the document highlights that this system will allow for the establishment of a stable and predictable roadmap for the coming yearsThe public consultation will remain open for 10 business days from the day after the announcement is published, and contributions can be submitted through the Lanzarote Island Council's Entry Register, addressed to the Department of Agriculture and Livestock.