The Mayor of Vila do Porto highlighted the importance of the Agricultural Association for its members, farmers, and producers, as well as the economic development of the island of Santa Maria. On the institution’s 38th anniversary, Bárbara Chaves highlighted the work carried out in consolidating the domestic and foreign markets for local products, including melons, honey, beef, lamb, sheep’s cheese, strawberries, and various organic products currently being produced. Regarding wine, the Mayor stressed that “today we have a quality wine with growth potential, which makes us very proud, both as residents of Santa Maria and as local authorities.”

On this occasion, the mayor stressed the importance of the water sector as a priority for the municipality, not only in terms of agriculture but also in terms of the quality of its public supply, reinforcing the work of the employees in this sector who, every day, do their best to ensure that water shortages are kept to a minimum.

“Although the Regional Government, through the IROA, is not fulfilling its part of the protocol we have for sharing responsibilities in the area of water supply for agriculture, the City Council has invested heavily in replacing water pipes, which is the responsibility of the Government, because we consider this to be a necessity for the island,” she explained.

In her speech, Bárbara Chaves also mentioned the ongoing and persistent work in conjunction with the Agricultural Association in terms of participation in fairs, support for the biennial agricultural trade fairs, the creation of the Marienses Agricultural Days since 2022, and support for the wine sector, whether in basic studies, the acquisition of equipment, or the promotion of wine, such as the integration of the municipality of Vila do Porto in the presentation of the Azores’ application for European Wine City 2026, the result of which will be known in May.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.