Planas presents the Spanish agricultural insurance system, an international benchmark, to his Maltese counterpart

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas

Minister Refalo showed his interest in the Spanish agricultural insurance system, one of the most effective and internationally recognised tools for the management of non-controllable risks in agricultural, livestock, aquaculture and forestry holdings, which guarantees their economic viability.

A Maltese delegation visited the headquarters of the National Agrarian Insurance Entity (ENESA) in October 2023 to learn about the composition and operation of the Combined Agrarian Insurance System in Spain.

The Centre for Research on Agricultural and Environmental Risks (CEIGRAM), attached to the Polytechnic University of Madrid and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, is currently working with the Maltese Department of Rural Affairs to assess agro-climatic risks in tomato cultivation to design a specific insurance policy for this crop destined for the processing industry.

Minister Planas also highlighted Malta's commitment to the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies, an organisation that promotes multilateral cooperation in the Mediterranean in the fields of agriculture, food, fisheries and rural development. Planas thanked his counterpart for the fact that Malta will host the next meeting of the six-monthly management board on 11 July in Birgu, which will be attended by delegates from the 13 member countries of the institution.

Planas also showed his counterpart the advances and investments in the modernisation of irrigation systems that are being carried out in Spain, so that the agricultural sector can successfully adapt to the effects of climate change and become more efficient and profitable.

Both ministers expressed their willingness to strengthen technical collaboration to promote the development of new irrigation technologies that make every drop of water profitable in two countries like Spain and Malta, which are suffering the effects of drought.

In this respect, Planas detailed that Spain has launched a plan to improve the efficiency and sustainability of irrigation systems, which aims to modernise some 160,000 hectares with NextGeneration funds from the EU and economic contributions from the irrigation communities.

Planas stressed that together with the government budgets and the investment made by the irrigation communities, investments of more than €2.4 billion will be mobilised up to 2027. Spain is also promoting the use of non-conventional water, including regenerated or desalinated water, so that the agricultural sector becomes increasingly less dependent on the availability of conventional water.

Non official translation