From postponement to postponement for the support of raisins, indignant farmers

Still has not announced the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, despite assurances Georgantas several days ago in Parliament, the details of the support for producers of Corinthian raisins through de minimis, which has ordered both the previous, and the current minister.

For farmers' indignation at the continuing inaction of those responsible, is the reason on behalf of the Group of Producers of Amalia, Christos Valianatos, «we have entered the new crop and the aid for last year's harvest is still pending. Two years ago the producer was selling 1.60 and 1.70 cents a product and last year only 70 cents. The Ministry of Agriculture has not yet announced the de minimis and at the same time the coupled aid for the product is delayed and may go to after Easter. The same is true of the industrial tomato, in terms of coupled support, so there is an issue in the local economy. I believe that new crops will be poorly cared for, because producers have liquidity problems. Next Friday several ministers and the President of the OPEKEPE will be here at an event, so we will see what is happening and we will intervene dynamically.».

The issue of raisins is also referred to by the deputy regional governor of Rural Development of Western Greece, Mr. Theodoros Vassilopoulos, asking what exactly the minister expects for raisins. The deputy regional governor specifically stressed: «I wonder what the new minister expects, he asked us first to be informed, three months have passed. In his statement to parliament on 14 March, he reiterated that the announcement of the amount to be given as aid under the de minimis measure to cover the loss of income of grape growers for 2021 is imminent. Our grape growers have been charged to meet the costs of the new growing season, there can be no more postponements.».

«It's been three weeks since the minister's announcement on de mimimis and we're still waiting. We have closed time the problem concerning the support of thousands of producers has not been resolved. The rural world is in despair and at the same time is called to make expenses for the new year, »noted for his part, speaking to AgroTypo, the deputy director general of the Union of Messinia, Mr. Yannis Pazios.