Rural Dev't Minister Tsiaras: Dialog is a solution to all problems

The government provides continuous support to producers within its fiscal abilities and through the tools of managing Greece's Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy, Rural Development and Food Minister Costas Tsiaras said on Friday after a meeting with energy crops farmers, and while some Central Macedonia farmers are protesting production costs.

According to a ministry statement, Tsiaras met with representatives of the National Agricultural Association of Energy Plants Producers (PASKETh) and discussed with them their problems including a drop in production due to climate change. (Energy crops are cultivated for the production of energy through biomass, and are unsuitable for human or animal consumption.)

The ministry's doors are always open to finding solutions, Tsiaras said, underlining that actions were sought to resolve issues, within the context of the Strategic Plan on the Common Agricultural Policy and government policy.

Protesting farmers

Among other issues, the minister also underlined that he had already met twice with protesting farmers and their basic demands for cheaper electricity and cheaper fuel had already been met. "The government has taken care to intervene in reducing production costs as well, in a very specific way and with specific choices, and has legislated the return of the Special Consumption Tax" to producers.

Tsiaras also noted an initiative he had discussed about a Mutual Aid Fund for climate crisis situations among the 9 European countries around the Mediterranean. "Personally, I had assumed an initiative with the Cypriot side - at least, at Med9 level - and we have really prioritized the founding of a Mutual Aid Fund by the European Commission that would deal with issues related to the climate crisis in general," the Rural Development minister noted.

According to the ministry statement, the PASKETh represenatives noted that they were more hopeful after the meeting. It also quoted the association's president, Stergios Litos, as saying, "We requested support for the crops and its continuation. The minister assured us that he is supportive. He wants the cultivation to continue in the coming years."

Meanwhile, in Pella and Kilkis in Central Greece, farmers parked their tractors along parts of highways and at squares. The tracters are not disrupting traffic, and the farmers are in talks to discuss how to continue their mobilizations.