Today's "very substantive and sincere meeting with representatives of farmers from all of Greece I believe opened a new path for our primary sector," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday after a meeting lasting 3.5 hours at Maximos Mansion.
"The measures the government had introduced were made more specific, and some new proposals were also accepted, such as expanding the (list of) beneficiaries for low-priced electricity, and there was also an initial approach toward a more productive restructure of our agricultural policy overall," the prime minister said.
Mitsotakis reminded that the reform of the CAP-subsidies agency OPEKEPE "has already borne its first fruit, with the completion of all of this year's (payments of) subsidies, especially with higher amounts than those of last year, while their fairer distribution has produced additional funding. These additional funds will now support crops with low prices, but also our stock breeders who were 'hit' badly by animal smallpox. And that is not all. Additionally, our farmers will have the lowest electricity pricing in all of Europe. Now this provision will include those who have arranged debt repayments and been consistent with their payments for a year. In addition, as of today, our farmers will not be paying a special consumer tax in fuel any more, nor will they pay the VAT on this reduction. Compensation by the agricultural insurance agency ELGA is speeded up, while - as discussed during the meeting - there will be a special provision for the loss of income in producing animal feed that was negatively impacted by sheep and goat smallpox."
The premier underlined that the government "showed great tolerance to mobilizations of farmers from the very start, recognizing the great existing problems. That is why it responded to many of their demands, after all, requesting however at the same time a sincere dialog, as the one we carried out today."
Unfortunately, he said, "a party-affiliated minority persists in some of the roadblocks, openly blackmailing society. However, 45 days later this hardship cannot continue. The government has exhausted the economy's tolerance, supporting farmers as never before. But it has also exhausted the limits of its patience for a sector by which it has stood for years. Therefore, we do not intend to tolerate either blackmailing, illegal actions, or irrationalities. And, certainly, we are not going to treat the rest of society unfairly," PM Mitsotakis underlined.
"This is the direction the government will follow from now on, with faith in truth and result, with doors always open to mature and sincere dialog, but also hermetically sealed to lies, populism, and any kind of threats. This is exactly the path highlighted by today's productive meeting with our farmers and stock breeders," the premier concluded.