The Agricultural Federation of the Azores (FAA), chaired by Jorge Rita, said yesterday that the constraints reported by its member, the Graciosa Farmers’ Association, regarding the departure of live cattle from that island are an example of the fact that the maritime freight transport model is flawed, in addition to delays and/or route changes due to weather conditions.
According to the note sent to the press, the FAA stresses that there is “information that the problem is not just the connections, but also the lack of containers, as is also happening on the island of Pico, where it is estimated that around 500 head of cattle are yet to be shipped. Although the situation has been overcome, in the case of the island of Flores, there was a lack of cold storage containers for shipping carcasses and containers for receiving inputs, such as fertilizer.
On the island of Santa Maria, the document reads, the Farmers’ Association has long been calling for a standardization of the routes and touches that serve the departure of live cattle and carcasses, as well as other perishable agricultural products that are destined for the regional market, or FRUTER, which has had many problems getting proteins to the Aalsmeer market (Netherlands) on time.
According to the same note, “the situation only reinforces the demand that the Azores Agricultural Federation has long been putting on the agenda with the Government of the Azores, since it is a priority for the development of Azorean agriculture that the transport model can be efficient so that it establishes and makes sustainable the supply of the main destination markets for agricultural products so that operators can effectively value producers, but also be competitive and generate value along the chain”.

CCIAH also speaks out
The Angra do Heroísmo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIAH) has also spoken out about maritime transport. After a meeting this month with companies associated with this institution, the CCIAH board, chaired by Marcos Couto, expressed “its great concern about maritime connections to Terceira Island. Knowing that this is not a new problem, quite the contrary, the truth is that the situation has worsened dramatically in recent months, to the point that there have been several stock-outs of various products on the island. In addition, exports have been severely affected, with significant losses for several companies, as a result of the lack of regularity, frequency, and predictability in the shipping schedule to the port of Praia da Vitória.
It is not the intention of this strong association to blame any of the players involved in the process, which we know is somewhat complex. Still, we cannot stand idly by when we see the economy of Terceira Island and the Azores being heavily penalized. No economy grows or develops without good connectivity, and there is no growth in the Azores without a robust economy on Terceira Island”.
In the same note, the CCIAH believes that “conditions must be created for regular and frequent ship calls at the Port of Praia, based on direct connections to the main ports of mainland Portugal, to allow not only the growth of the domestic market, but also exports.
As far as the domestic market is concerned, the fact that Terceira Island is being severely hampered and strangled in terms of containerized cargo connections with the other islands in the central and western groups, which have been “diverted” to São Miguel, is a source of great concern. It is worth mentioning that all container ship connections between the islands of the central and western groups and Terceira Island have been removed, which prevents the development of partnerships between companies on the different islands of these groups, particularly in the meat sector. A clear strategy of isolating the island from the rest of the archipelago is underway. We believe that the ports of the Azores should operate on a complementary basis and never in competition, boosting the installed capacity, particularly in the port of Praia da Vitória, always in synergy with all the ports in the region.” The issue of maritime transport has been a great concern to the Vila do Portos municipality and the island’s entrepreneurs.

Nélia Câmara is a journalist for the newspaper Correio dos Açores, and Natalino Viveiros is its director.

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.