The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is set to provide financial support of three thousand euros per hectare for rice farmers in the Albufera of Valencia. This assistance comes as a response to the severe damages caused by the Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos (DANA), which has affected the agricultural sector. The official resolution detailing this support will be published on Saturday, eighth March.

This aid is aimed specifically at those producers who have suffered significant mud accumulation, preventing them from starting the planting season in April. It will target rice fields within the traditional cultivation area of the La Albufera Natural Park. Funding is contingent upon the determination of eligible land based on the upcoming 2024 Common Agricultural Policy application.

Farmers will not need to navigate administrative or bureaucratic processes, as the Ministry will publish a list of beneficiaries and their affected plots shortly. This proactive approach will allow farmers to report any discrepancies quickly. The data used will reflect the current Agricultural Exploitation Registry.

This measure is part of a broader package outlined in Royal Decree-Law seven of 2024, which allocates resources for urgent relief and recovery from the damages incurred during the DANA events from the twenty-eighth of October to the fourth of November of two thousand twenty-four. The government has set aside four hundred forty-four point five million euros, of which two hundred million is specifically earmarked for direct grants to support agricultural incomes affected by the flooding.