In response to the severe impact of Cyclone Chido, the Commission has proposed changes that aim to deliver faster, more flexible support to the outermost regions of Mayotte via adjustments to the EU POSEI programme. The proposed changes give farmers the breathing room they need to restart production without losing access to vital EU support. This move underlines the EU’s solidarity and commitment to supporting the outermost regions across all EU policies, including agriculture, where farmers and rural communities can face major setbacks following natural disasters.
The outermost region of Mayotte has recently been affected by Cyclone Chido and Tropical Storm Dikeledi, which caused widespread damage across the island. The impact on agriculture and food security has been considerable. High winds damaged crops in several areas, and flooding disrupted farmlands and planting schedules, which may result in reduced yields for the next growing season. In addition, infrastructure, such as roads, was destroyed hampering the transportation of agricultural goods.
In this context, the Commission has proposed allowing national authorities to make exceptional changes to their POSEI programme, which provides support for the European Union’s outermost regions. This ensures that farmers in areas affected by natural disasters can continue to receive support, even if their agricultural activities are temporarily disrupted or suspended. To continue receiving support, farmers must commit to rebuilding their capacity, and progress will be monitored annually with the Commission’s support.
Given the damage caused by Cyclone Chido, Mayotte will benefit from a unique set of measures. The Commission plans to lift the 10% budget cap on emergency support introduced last autumn as a direct response to the floods affecting Central and Eastern European countries and wildfires in Portugal in September 2024, and allow to extend the deadline for selecting beneficiaries beyond 30 June 2025 to enable Mayotte to fully mobilise all available funding within its current rural development programme. This ensures Mayotte can use further available EU funds to help its agricultural sector recover swiftly – another example of the EU’s commitment to act quickly and flexibly in times of need.
Background
Due to their unique characteristics and related challenges, the EU provides targeted support to agriculture in the outermost regions, including Mayotte, where agriculture, fisheries, and aquaculture are traditional sectors. The European agricultural fund for rural development (EAFRD) contribution to the rural development programme of Mayotte is €83,1 million for the 2014-22 programming period.
Funded through the common agricultural policy, Mayotte’s rural development programme has supported improvements to road infrastructure to better connect agricultural plots, and helped modernise farms to strengthen their competitiveness against imports. It also supports the viability of small farms, which play a key role in the local food supply.