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The Commissioner welcomes the support of Congress to Royal Decree-Law 13/2025, essential to guarantee the agricultural funds needed by La Palma

11/12/2025
banana plantations Tazacorte after volcano

The Special Commissioner for the Reconstruction of La Palma, Héctor Izquierdo, today underlines the importance of the General Courts having validated Royal Decree-Law 13/2025, approved on November 25 and published in the BOE the following day. This regulation represents a decisive opportunity to deal with the consequences of the eruption of the Tajogaite, especially in the agricultural field, which is fundamental to the economy and the future of the island.

The explanatory statement of the legal text states that the eruption devastated more than 370 agricultural hectares in Los Llanos de Aridane, El Paso and Tazacorte, emphasizing that the banana farms - the main source of income in the area - were buried, without infrastructure or access. That is why the Commissioner particularly insists on the urgency of securing the funds destined for the agricultural sector, since “today it is the most needy of support to be able to start the real recovery”.

The norm with the rank of law today validated also argues that, unlike other catastrophes, in a volcanic phenomenon the recovery is not immediate: it is necessary to wait for the natural cooling of the crops, which delays the possibility of recultivating. This, explains Izquierdo, “requires us to create new lands, accesses and hydraulic networks, so that recovery times are prolonged and can extend several years, compromising the socio-economic future of the Island.”

In this sense, the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands is authorized to allocate 100 million euros of the budgetary surplus of 2024 to finance direct aid to natural persons and entities affected, with special attention to damage in agricultural estates and compensation for infrastructures on expropriated or damaged land. In addition, the other measures of economic relief contained in the decree are validated, such as: extension of deduction in income tax for residents in La Palma, suspension of payment obligations for loans and credits of affected farmers and other extensions of justification of projects related to biodiversity, infrastructure and environmental sustainability.

The High Office of the State highlights the institutional unity maintained around the catastrophe lived in La Palma and appreciates the sense of responsibility and solidarity of the different political forces that have supported the rule. “This support is not just a legal decision, it is an act of justice towards families who deserve to be able to work the land and recover their way of life,” says Izquierdo.