La Rioja obtains more than 14 million euros from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to finance a large part of the aid for the green harvest, specifically the funds come from the Wine Sector Intervention (ISV). In this way, as reported by the regional Executive, La Rioja will receive the most funds from the Ministry and with which 67% of the requests can be covered. For the remaining 30%, the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock Rural World and Environment, Noemí Manzanos has clarified that, “the Ministry will have an aid mechanism charged to the Community Budget, thus fulfilling President Capellán’s commitment that “No Rioja winegrower is left without help.”
Thus, Manzanos pointed out, “La Rioja will receive 14,054,463.04 euros of funds from the Wine Sector Intervention (ISV), which will cover in the first instance 3,604 hectares, 67% of the total applications sent from this region to the Ministry. (5,366 plots) and that correspond to 1,772 winegrowers.”
The head of Agriculture has been “very satisfied” with the amount achieved, “since it represents 60% more than initially planned (8.7 million euros), multiplying by four what was received in the previous campaign for the green harvest and around 40% of the total funds that will be distributed to the 7 communities that have requested aid for the green harvest.”
On the other hand, Manzanos has stressed that the remaining 33% of applications from Rioja winegrowers, up to the total amount of 20.8 million euros not covered by these items (approximately 1,500 hectares), will receive aid. charged to the Budget of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja. “We thus fulfill, as it could not be otherwise, the commitment assumed by President Capellán that no Rioja winegrower be left without help,” he highlighted. In this regard, the counselor has pointed out that the Government of La Rioja “is already working on the implementation of an autonomous mechanism to process these aid, with the aim of paying it as soon as possible thanks to the simplification of procedures. ”.
The counselor recalled that La Rioja was the first Autonomous Community that requested to enable green harvesting at the national level in 2023 for the benefit of Rioja winegrowers. The purpose of the exceptional temporary green harvest measure is to help restore the balance of supply and demand in the wine market.
Execution of the green harvest between July 1 and 15
The concession resolution will be published before June 30 in the Official Gazette of La Rioja (BOR). The deadline for requesting payment of aid and carrying out the work will begin on July 1, 2024 and will end on July 15 of this year. The beneficiaries must communicate the execution of the green harvest within that same period, an act that will be considered as the request for payment of the aid.
