The Minister of Agriculture, Petros Xenofontos, has informed groups of cereal and potato producers heading to the Presidential Palace for a protest with tractors and double cabins that if they proceed with their event, the government’s proposal for their economic support will be withdrawn.
In the last 24 hours, the responsible minister took the initiative and consulted with both sectors to provide assistance due to the increased costs resulting from the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine conflicts, as well as the ongoing pandemic.
In this effort, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Environment utilized all available tools provided by the European regulatory framework to support farmers within the State’s budgetary constraints.
For cereal producers, the Cabinet approved an economic aid of €574,358 out of the proposed €1,723,074 by the Ministry of Agriculture. However, no support was granted for potato producers.
While the government recognizes the rise in production costs, initially, no support was approved, considering that the increase in production costs was offset by the rise in the retail price of the products.
After a meeting between agricultural organizations and the President of the Republic, it was decided to provide additional support to both sectors.
Therefore, after consultations, the government decided to allocate €4.3 million, corresponding to €2.65 million for cereal growers and €1.654 million for potato producers. This amounts to €6 per acre for cereals and €55 per acre for potatoes.
This proposal was made on the condition that there would be no protests.
Consequently, the Minister of Agriculture stated that the proposal would be withdrawn, and no funds would be allocated to the two protesting sectors if demonstrations occur.
