ZARAGOZA, 16 (EUROPA PRESS)
The Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Environment of the Government of Aragon makes this Wednesday, December 16, the payment of the subsidy to agricultural insurance premiums subscribed by farmers and ranchers before June 1, 2020. Specifically, it amounts to 6,262,294 euros and the number of beneficiaries is 7,222, of which 777 are young people who are granted the maximum aid allowed by community regulations, which is 65 percent – a total of 736,681 euros.
The insurance lines with the greatest economic impact are fruit production, with 47 percent of the assigned subsidy; extensive arable crops, 15 percent, and removal and destruction of animal carcasses, 32 percent. The total cost of contracting the different agricultural insurance policies in Aragon this campaign amounted to 68 million euros.
This cost, for those farmers and ranchers who meet the established conditions, is supported through subsidies by the State Agrarian Insurance Company (ENESA), with an amount of 18.5 million euros, and by the aforementioned 6.2 million euros contributed by the Government of Aragon.
In total, public support for the contracting of agricultural insurance amounts as a whole to 24.7 million euros, with an average intensity of support of 40 percent and that, in the case of young farmers in their first 5 years since their installation, rises to 65 percent which is the maximum allowed by the European Union.
The insured capital for the value of the productions in this year amounted to 1,276 million euros, 984 in the part of crops and 291 in livestock, corresponding to 888,800 hectares and more than 50 million animals. These data indicate that, in the case of agricultural productions whose Final Production value according to the Agricultural Macromagnitudes amounts to 1,347 million euros, 73 percent of the production value is insured.
“A very relevant issue that shows the professionalism of the sector by assuming the cost of agricultural insurance as one more input of production,” said the general director of Rural Development, Jesús Nogués. ACCUMULATED CLAIMS
Agriculture is subject to the risk of climatic events. Specifically, in this year 2020, the accidents accumulated as of November 25 have affected more than 109,000 hectares, distributed in all the Aragonese regions, the most relevant being those of hail, with some 78,000 hectares affected; game fauna, which has caused damage to 9,060 hectares, or wind damage, which has affected 4,300 hectares.
The most affected crops have been extensive herbaceous with 88,000 affected, fruit trees with 7,800 and cherries with 3,500. The payments received by farmers and ranchers as compensation throughout the year until December 4 have been 55.8 million euros. Of these, 11.5 correspond to the line of removal and destruction of corpses, 22 million to fruit trees, 8 to extensive herbaceous and 7.8 to cherry.
Jesús Nogués recalled that “agricultural insurance is an essential tool for the agricultural sector, the line being the most relevant in terms of the contribution of the Autonomous Community’s own funds throughout the agricultural field”.
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