The Regional Government eases beet and cotton files due to the sugar closure

The Regional Government of Andalusia (Junta de Andalucía) will exceptionally allow, during the 2026 and 2027 campaigns, the modification of the conditions for requesting expiration and the application of amendments to aid files covered by industrial crop operations for cotton and sugar beet. The measure is signed by the Directorate General for Direct Aid and Markets, of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, through the Resolution of October 1, 2026, published in BOJA no. 195, of October 7, 2026, with text no. 13106. The reason stated in the resolution itself is the partial closure of the last remaining operational sugar factory in Andalusia.

The regulation is included in section 3, “Other provisions,” of the Official Gazette of the Regional Government of Andalusia, and spans three pages. Its scope is limited to files already covered by two specific aid lines, both linked to industrial cotton and sugar beet crops, and does not alter the rest of the agricultural subsidy regime. The issuing body is the same one that manages direct payments to agriculture and livestock and the maintenance of SIGPAC in Andalusia.

The two affected operations

The flexibility applies exclusively to files falling under the following operations:

• 6501.2.3. Industrial Crops. Cotton and Sugar Beet. Mandatory commitments.
• 6501.2.4. Industrial Crops. Cotton and Sugar Beet. Voluntary commitments.

Both lines correspond to multi-annual commitments assumed by growers, mandatory in the first case and voluntary in the second.

What can be modified and for how long

The resolution enables, on an exceptional basis, two specific modifications to the files:

• The conditions for requesting expiration.
• The conditions for the application of amendments.

The time frame is limited to the 2026 and 2027 campaigns, and the published text does not extend the exceptional regime to subsequent years.

The trigger: the closure of the last sugar factory

The factual circumstance justifying the exception is the partial closure of the last sugar factory that remained operational in Andalusia. This circumstance alters the industrial outlet for sugar beet and compromises the ordinary fulfillment of the agri-environmental commitments acquired by growers, forcing the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development to enable a pathway that allows files to be adjusted without breaching the conditions of the aid.

In the field of cotton, the immediate frame of reference is the Order of April 29, 2024, which establishes additional rules regarding the intervention of the specific payment for cotton cultivation in Andalusia for the 2023-2027 period, modified by the Order of July 15, 2026, whose correction of errors was published in BOJA no. 189, of September 29, 2026, text no. 12681.

Who it affects

The direct recipients are the holders of holdings with active files in operations 6501.2.3 and 6501.2.4, namely, beet and cotton growers with ongoing agri-environmental commitments. For them, the resolution opens the possibility of reorganizing the expiration request and the application of amendments within the 2026 and 2027 campaigns, instead of remaining bound by the original conditions set when the aid was granted.

The relevance of the measure is twofold: it officially recognizes the impact of the sugar closure on the Andalusian beet sector and prevents affected farmers from losing committed aid due to causes beyond their management. Interested parties must adhere to the provisions of the Resolution of October 1, 2026, of the General Directorate of Direct Aid and Markets, published in BOJA no. 195, of October 7, 2026, text no. 13106.

Source: Official Gazette of the Government of Andalusia (BOJA), no. 195, of October 7, 2026, section 3 “Other provisions” (official reference: BOJA26-195-00009, text no. 13106).