The Minister of Territorial Cohesion, Ana Abrunhosa, guaranteed this Friday, in Oliveira do Hospital, that there will be no shortage of funds and resources to continue supporting projects to enhance the cheese sector in the Central Region.
I leave you here the guarantee that there will be no lack of funds or resources to support your projects. We want to continue with these projects, there are community funds for these projects, not only in Agriculture, but also through the Center for Coordination and Regional Development and we count on everyone for these projects”, he highlighted.
Ana Abrunhosa visited a family farm, where PDO Serra da Estrela milk and cheese are produced, in the municipality of Oliveira do Hospital, and then presided over the “Vale Pastor” Awards ceremony, where eight vouchers worth five thousand euros to entrepreneurs. from the Serra da Estrela and Beira Baixa PDO regions, for a total amount of 40 thousand euros.
On this occasion, the official stressed that the Central Region is the the only region with projects of this nature and they form a whole row.
The project will be completed by the end of this year, but it will continue, through a 2.0 program, “with more ambition, more shepherds, more shepherd schools, more cheese schools and other activities.”
Above all, that these activities serve to keep these territories occupied, to value these territories. We may not have a population anymore, but we will continue to insist on keeping and retaining people, on rejuvenating the class that works in this sector, ”he pointed out.
Ana Abrunhosa also showed that people will only be interested in this sector of activity if it is profitable.
“Sometimes in Portugal we are too demagogic, we demonize entrepreneurs who make a profit and even envy those who are successful. None of that, let’s be proud of those who are successful, let’s take it as a reference and hope that everyone makes a profit, ”he said.
To those present, he left the Government’s commitment to continue working together, for “a more cohesive country”.
“A more cohesive country is a country that grows, in all regions and in which all families benefit from that growth, in which there are no asymmetries or in which some do not benefit more than others. That means equal opportunity, no matter where we live or work,” she concluded.
The project “Program for the Valuation of the PDO Cheese Sector in the Central Region” aims to support line agents in solving the main bottlenecks in the value chain of traditional cheeses in the region, from the milk producer to the consumer, in order to strengthen and promote the chain.
Common approximate financing of 2.5 million eurosIt is developed by Inovcluster, with 15 partners.
Source: Observadora
