The Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food argues that POSEI (Program of Specific Options to Address Remoteness and Insularity) remains an essential instrument for the Azores’ agricultural policy.
At the end of September this year, the Regional Government body submitted the POSEI Implementation Report for 2024 to the European Commission, which stated that the program’s financial implementation reached €112.6 million.
The funds were allocated to Measures in Favor of Local Agricultural Production and the Specific Supply Regime.
Suppose the Government of the Republic does not guarantee funds for complementary aid to POSEI in the Azores. In that case, the Region will do so, the regional secretariat for Agriculture assures, stressing that the matter is still under negotiation.
The regional secretariat points out that, between 2021 and 2024, it was the Regional Budget that provided €24 million to maintain support for farmers, and that, in 2025, this effort was undertaken by the Government of the Republic, with a budget of €16 million earmarked exclusively for POSEI.
“For the PRORURAL+ program (to support the income and resilience of agricultural activity), which will be replaced by the PEPAC program, the Region’s budget, with its own and Community funds, continues to avoid cuts and increase support amounts in 2021 and 2025. In 2020, there was a 30% cut between the amount announced and the amount actually paid,” it is recalled.
For 2026, there is no provision in the State Budget for the POSEI supplement. The amount, currently under negotiation between the president of the Regional Government and the prime minister, is expected to be defined by a new resolution and could reach €19 million, reflecting the increase in regional food production, the secretariat points out.
“The assumption of the payment of the POSEI supplement by the Republic is much more than an act of solidarity. It is, above all, an act of recognition of the Azores as an agricultural region that is becoming a breadbasket for Portugal in terms of food quantity,” he argues.

“If, for any reason, the Republic’s budget does not provide the necessary funds to avoid cuts, the Regional Government is committed to paying the POSEI and PEPAC subsidies in full, without any cuts,” the note sent to DI emphasizes.
This week, the president of the Azores Agricultural Federation, Jorge Rita, expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that the Minister of Agriculture did not secure funds in the State Budget for 2026 for complementary aid to POSEI in the Azores.
“Someone must be lying, and serious politics is not done by lying, much less to those who work daily with great sacrifice, dedication, and passion, which is the agricultural sector,” he said.
In information provided to DI, the regional secretariat highlights €89.5 million for Animal Production Premiums, €15.7 million for Plant Production Premiums, €1.1 million for Processing Aid, and €6.3 million for the Specific Supply Regime.
“In total, 23,811 applications relating to Animal Production, 4,915 applications relating to Plant Production, and 245 applications relating to Processing Aid were paid,” it is noted.
At a time when the European Commission’s proposal for the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework is under discussion, the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food stresses that POSEI has favored the stability of the dairy sector, allowed for increased aid for meat, and helped local processing capacity, “contributing to the economic and social sustainability of agriculture in the Azores.”
The president of the Regional Government announced on Thursday that the Region opposes the European Commission’s proposal, which it considers detrimental to the outermost regions (ORs). José Manuel Bolieiro assured that he will send a letter to the President of the European Council, António Costa, on the matter.
The letter is expected to address concerns such as the preservation of the POSEI program, which is “considered essential for the food autonomy and economic balance of the islands.” The creation of a POSEI-Fisheries and a POSEI-Transport will also be proposed.

In Diário Insular-José Lourenço, director

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