The transformation of agriculture is rarely achieved through a single harvest. It is built over years of investment, innovation, and the confidence of entrepreneurs willing to modernize while remaining faithful to the land that sustains them. Across the Azores, that process is increasingly being driven by a partnership between public investment and private initiative, as the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) continues to reshape the Region’s agricultural economy.
Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Food António Ventura highlighted this vision during a visit to Pomar dos Biscoitos, an agricultural enterprise in the parish of Biscoitos on Terceira Island. The visit formed part of the Regional Government’s ongoing monitoring of projects supported through the PRR, showcasing how strategic public funding is helping businesses modernize their operations, diversify production, and strengthen the competitiveness of Azorean agriculture.
For Ventura, the orchard represents far more than a successful local business. It illustrates the entrepreneurial spirit that continues to emerge within the Region’s primary sector, demonstrating how traditional agricultural practices can evolve through innovation without losing their local identity.
Pomar dos Biscoitos recently completed an investment of approximately €367,000 aimed at expanding its productive capacity while developing a new line of fourth-range horticultural products—fresh, ready-to-consume vegetables prepared through advanced processing techniques. The project combines fruit production with value-added food processing, creating greater opportunities to enhance the commercial value of regional agricultural products while responding to changing consumer demand.
The company cultivates a wide variety of fruit and vegetable crops, with particular emphasis on citrus production. Among its signature products are mandarins harvested from Terceira’s traditional orchards, preserving a long-established agricultural heritage while adapting it to contemporary markets. Beyond cultivation, the enterprise has successfully expanded into food processing, producing jams, preserves, jellies, and marmalades, while also distributing and marketing fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the Region.
By integrating farming, processing, and distribution within a single business model, Pomar dos Biscoitos has positioned itself as an example of how innovation and diversification can strengthen the long-term sustainability of Azorean agriculture.
The investment forms part of the PRR Component C05-i05-RAA – Economic Relaunch of Azorean Agriculture, a program that mobilizes €34 million to modernize the Region’s agricultural sector. The initiative seeks to strengthen productive capacity, encourage innovation, improve competitiveness, and support the technological modernization of agricultural enterprises across the archipelago.
One of the program’s principal funding instruments—the Support Scheme for Processing and Commercialization Companies—has allocated €10.4 million to assist agricultural businesses engaged in food processing and marketing. To date, 19 Azorean companies have secured support under the measure, representing a combined investment of €14.4 million, with projects receiving public financing covering up to 80 percent of eligible costs.
The range of supported investments reflects the diversity of the Azorean agri-food economy.
Projects span strategic sectors including dairy production, viticulture, food distribution, ornamental floriculture, and agri-food innovation, illustrating how modernization is occurring across multiple industries rather than within a single agricultural niche. Together, these investments demonstrate the willingness of Azorean businesses to expand, diversify, and adopt new technologies capable of improving both productivity and market competitiveness.
For António Ventura, the significance of the Recovery and Resilience Plan extends well beyond financial assistance.
He describes the PRR as a strategic opportunity to accelerate the modernization of Azorean agriculture by encouraging companies to invest in more efficient, sustainable, and technologically advanced production systems.
“The PRR represents a strategic investment in our agricultural enterprises,” Ventura observed. “By supporting private investment, we are creating the conditions for producers to become more competitive, more innovative, and better prepared to meet the challenges of the future, while simultaneously strengthening productive capacity, sustainability, and the value of Azorean agricultural production.”
The Regional Secretary also emphasized the strong pace of implementation achieved by the agricultural component of the Recovery and Resilience Plan. Three of the four targets established under Group A have already been completed, while all four objectives within Group B have been successfully achieved, reflecting what the Regional Government considers a high level of execution centered on mobilizing private investment as a driver of competitiveness and structural modernization.
Looking ahead, Ventura encouraged Azorean entrepreneurs to continue investing in their businesses and to take full advantage of the financing instruments currently available.
The Regional Government, he affirmed, intends to remain an active partner in supporting private enterprise, creating conditions that enable companies not only to grow but also to generate employment, create wealth, and strengthen the international reputation of Azorean products.
The story of Pomar dos Biscoitos ultimately reflects a broader transformation taking place throughout the islands. Increasingly, the future of Azorean agriculture is no longer defined solely by what is produced in the fields and orchards, but by how those products are processed, marketed, and positioned within increasingly competitive markets. Investments in technology, value-added production, and business diversification are allowing producers to move beyond the traditional role of commodity suppliers toward becoming creators of distinctive regional brands.
In an archipelago where agriculture has always been central to both the economy and cultural identity, the Recovery and Resilience Plan is proving to be more than a funding mechanism. It is becoming a catalyst for a new generation of agricultural entrepreneurship—one that honors the traditions of the land while embracing the innovation needed to ensure its prosperity for decades to come.
From Press Release. Photo from the Government of the Azores.