The government is ready to help with the reconstruction of the cod factory in Lugrad, which completely burned down in the municipality of Coimbra about a week ago, at the expense of the community.
The announcement was made this afternoon by the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Maria do Seu Antunes, who visited the division of the company, which began operations on Tuesday, and the facilities destroyed in the fire that broke out on April 20, which caused losses of 20 million euros.
“We are available within the program [Mar 2030]to help in this new phase of the reconstruction of this great company, which has exported more this year,” the minister told reporters.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food justified her presence as an act of solidarity, which “has consequences for the support we intend to give to the company so that it can resume operations and be able to carry on this business with codfish from Coimbra.”
“Knowing the coverage and eligibility of the program, it will not be difficult to find a platform that will meet these needs,” said Maria do Seu Antunes, praising the fact that Lugrade did not lay off a single employee.
Partner Vitor Lucas, who shares the management of the company with his brother Joselito, said the damage to the device destroyed by the fire is about 20 million euros, with insurance covering about 13 million euros.
This desalinated deep-frozen cod plant is located in Torre de Vilela and was opened in 2017.
According to Vitor Lukas, the company is already working on its immediate reconstruction with the aim of “opening a new plant in December of this year at best.”
Due to the affected activities, Lugrade relied on cooperation with other companies in the sector, which provided production lines for their products, which allowed the impact to be mitigated.
Agriculture and Food Minister Maria do Seu Antunes announced that the government has prepared the first notifications “to be published as soon as possible”, allowing 121 million euros to be allocated for fisheries, aquaculture and processing.
“We understand that the investment Lugrade will make to cover all the investments needed to replace its business and its innovative nature, sustainability and job security will certainly have the best eligibility conditions in this program. [Mar 2030]”,
Lugrade-Bacalhau de Coimbra, which employs around 150 people, ended 2022 with a turnover of more than 40 million euros, an increase of about six million compared to 2021, despite a drop in consumption.
Opened in 2017 and located in Torre de Vilela, the Lugrade cod deep-freeze factory was destroyed by a fire that broke out around 21:00 on the 20th.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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