The Andalusian Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development, Carmen Crespo, presented this Friday in Almeria the draft 2022 Budget for this Andalusian province, which amounts to 242 million euros of provincialised public investment; an amount that represents an increase of 88 million euros – 57 percent more – compared to 2021, and an investment of 332 euros per inhabitant compared to 218 euros in last year’s budget.
The minister stressed that the Andalusian government’s budget for 2022 “contemplates more resources and is more provincialised”. For Crespo, these are “accounts that consolidate the economic recovery”, said the minister, who defined this project as “a necessary budget” for the autonomous community “because we want to grow, provide employment and give possibilities to the Andalusian people”.
Crespo added that it is “a budget for dialogue and which allows for administrative agility, as all sectors are asking us to continue moving forward”. He also stated that “the Andalusian government wants to put an end to historical debts” and stressed that “Almeria is driving the recovery of Andalusia”.
With regard to Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development, the head of the department has reported that the investment in Almeria reaches 128.5 million euros, so that this Ministry concentrates 53 percent of this type of funds that the Board allocates to the territory of Almeria. The amount increases by 48 million euros, that is, 59.4 percent.
Among other actions, Crespo highlighted that the regional government is investing 37.1 million euros in water policy in Almeria, pointing out that the purification projects will provide eight hectometres of regenerated water.
In his speech, he recalled that, including the works underway, tendered or in the process of drafting the project, “all the purification works in Almeria declared of interest to the Autonomous Community in 2010” are already underway, amounting to 38 and whose multiannual investments will be continued in the 2022 budget.
In addition, Crespo stated that the Regional Ministry will also continue to invest next year in the upstream supply works declared of interest to the Autonomous Community in the province of Almeria with the drafting of the project for the upstream supply to the Almanzora Valley and the supply of desalinated water in the Poniente Almeriense.
Likewise, the Councillor also pointed out that provincialised investments are contemplated in Almeria, among other areas, for the restoration and environmental adaptation of watercourses (1.7 million euros), forest defence infrastructures, livestock trails (2.5 million) or forest fire prevention and forestry treatments (three million) aimed, for example, at restoring the area affected by the fire in Terque.
As for the agricultural sector, Crespo stressed that, among other items, there are investments that support the modernisation of farms (7.5 million euros), the incorporation of young farmers (21 million), the conditioning of rural roads (20 million) and the processing and marketing of agri-food products (6.2 million).
In addition, he stressed that “the fisheries sector is also a protagonist in these budgets”, which is why the Regional Ministry is allocating 6.9 million euros to various actions in this area in Almeria, aimed, among other objectives, at improving ports and supporting investments in marine aquaculture and the initiatives of the Local Action Groups in the Fisheries Sector (GALP).
For her part, the delegate of the Andalusian Government in Almeria, Maribel Sánchez Torregrosa, has highlighted “the importance of the Andalusian budget 2022 with Almeria because it is a great opportunity to continue developing projects as important as the Almanzora Highway, the implementation of new schools and new health infrastructures, very necessary for the province and which have been parked for years”.
DEVELOPMENT AND HEALTH
Among the actions planned by the Regional Ministry of Development, Infrastructures and Territorial Planning for 2022 in the province of Almeria are the works aimed at making progress on the La Concepción-Autovía del Mediterráneo A-7 section of the Almanzora Highway (24 million euros), the work to improve road safety on the A-334 road from Baza to Huercal-Overa (686,400 euros) and the construction of the junction on the A-370 in Mojácar (one million euros).
The budget for next year also includes funds for the Urban Regeneration and Renovation Area (4.39 million euros); for housing in Pescadería – Avenida del Mar (476,750 euros), La Chanca (3.3 million euros) and El Ejido Centro (597,500 euros); and for an agreement for the rehabilitation of Almería Town Hall (1.9 million euros).
On the other hand, this department of the Andalusian Government plans to advance throughout 2022 in improvements in various ports, such as that of Roquetas de Mar, where the port integration works continue (a project endowed with more than 1.7 million euros); and that of Adra.
As for the Regional Ministry of Health and Families, among the main investments included in the draft 2021 Budget for the province of Almeria are the new hospital in Roquetas de Mar (33.4 million euros) and various infrastructure projects of the Andalusian Health Service (16.8 million) such as, for example, the new Nephrology and Administration building at La Inmaculada Hospital (1.5 million), the outpatient building for external consultations at Torrecárdenas University Hospital (6.97 million), the extension of the Poniente Hospital and the replacement of electro-medical equipment in various centres (5.5 million) and the replacement of the emergency electricity system (1.2 million).
Other projects include the new health centres in El Ejido Nordeste (704,200 euros), Mojácar (700,000 euros), Benahadux (1.2 million euros) and Huércal Overa (360,000 euros); and the extensions to the Balanegra surgery (347,396 euros) and the Albox health centre (141,700 euros).
EDUCATION, CULTURE AND TOURISM
As for the Regional Ministry of Education and Sport, the Andalusian Government’s accounts for 2022 contemplate in Almeria, among other actions, progress in the works of the Kina Jiménez Professional Dance Conservatory (6.5 million euros) and in the bioclimatisation of 33 educational centres (10.7 million), as well as continuing the works of the IES of Huércal de Almería, the CEIP of Viator, the CEIP of Almerimar in El Ejido and the extension of the CEIP Mare Nostrum of Adra.
The Regional Ministry of Culture and Historical Heritage, for its part, will allocate almost two million euros next year to continue promoting the Alcazaba of Almeria. In addition, among other actions, it will invest 900,000 euros in the Castle of Vélez Blanco, actions that are part of an agreement signed with the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development; and it will work on new library facilities and to improve the equipment of the municipal archives of the province.
Among the actions contemplated by the Regional Ministry of the Vice-Presidency, Tourism, Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration in Almeria for 2022, the new judicial headquarters in Huércal Overa (512,000 euros) stands out; and among the measures to be developed by the Department of Economy, Industry, Knowledge and Universities in the Almeria region are the works aimed at implementing the Degree in Medicine in the 2022-2023 academic year at the University of Almeria.