Portimão council has already paid €30,000 in financial assistance to victims of the rural fire of July 17 that destroyed 1,600 hectares of land in the Mexilhoeira Grande parish council.
Said the municipality, an emergency fund worth €50,000 was created to help affected farmers “rebuild” their lives and reinforce an agreement with the Western Algarve Forest Producers Association ASPAFLOBAL, enabling it to purchase vital equipment to better manage forests and assist agricultural activities.
Large areas of shrubland, eucalyptus and pine trees in Gordeiro and Pereira were destroyed along with basic infrastructure to support the livelihood of local farmers, namely access to electricity and water, the latter mostly through borehole supply.
“Low-income farmers who depend largely on the land to survive were deeply affected by the fire, suffering huge losses,” said the council, thus these measures of support are vital to ensure they can resume agricultural activities.
Payments to fire victims are made upon presentation of receipts, said the council.
