For Kléber Mesquida, agriculture is “vital, it is the identity of our territory”

Kléber Mesquida veut s'engager en matière d'irrigation. Midi Libre – JEAN MICHEL MART

Le président du Département de l’Hérault veut enrayer la baisse du nombre d’exploitations dans une économiequi représente un PIB de 800 M€.

Que pèse l’agriculture dans le département de l’Hérault ?

Agriculture, with 800 M€ annual, is the second GDP of Hérault behind tourism. In France the number of farms has fallen by 60% and Hérault is not spared. With various support programs for farmers, we seek to stem this decline. To do this, we must help farmers to arm themselves against climatic hazards. And the profession is very committed when it comes to co-constructing, alongside us, new innovative, ecological devices that respect water resources.
But it’s not just a question of economics: agriculture is vital, essential for a territory like ours. We support it because it is also part of the identity of our Department.

What can the community do to respond to farmers' demands ?

The Department of Hérault has been supporting farmers for years well beyond its skills with a proactive policy that supports but also knows how to mobilize the solidarity of the Hérault residents, as we did two years ago for black jelly. We also strive to promote the profession through action in partnership with the Chamber of Agriculture or by supporting oenological and soon shellfish tourism. Furthermore, as President, I took a position in your columns recently asking for three things: zero tolerance on imported products that do not respect European standards (and particularly in terms of the use of pesticides) ; a standardization of agricultural standards within the European Union to curb competition between countries in the area and the strict application of the Egalim law.

There is an important subject around water. Does the Department carry out projects in favor of irrigation ?

In terms of irrigation, the Department is once again committed to working alongside farmers: firstly to support the sustainability of their farms but also to protect the territory. Tomorrow, if we fail to bring water to the crops, the Department will gradually be covered with scrubland and be at risk of fire. Vines are an excellent firebreak that protects the territory.

But we act beyond irrigation via other programs such as trichograms, an ecological remedy for cryptoblabe, this butterfly which can ravage crops or by supporting wine growers in the fight against golden flavescence.

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