In the streets again today the farmers in Aegialia and Ilia

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At the start the producers of Aegialia with mobilizations and gathering today, Wednesday 1/02/2023, in PES. On the national road Pyrgos – Ancient Olympia, the tractors in Ilia

Premiere of agricultural mobilizations today in Achaia, starting from Aegio, where the local agricultural association is organizing a rally at 11 am at the facilities of the Panegialia Union of Cooperatives.
The main axes of the mobilizations that are starting nationwide, are the taking of measures by the government, to replace the lost income and reduce the cost of production, which has now become unaffordable for the farmers.

A more special issue for Aegialia is the very low prices of raisins, which are available from producers below cost, with the demand of traders, processors and exporters.

The Agricultural Association of Aigio mentions specifically that while the price of raisins exceeded 2 euros in 2018, today for the 2022 harvest, some producers have been paid 0.70 cents, others a little more and many are still unpaid.

From October 10 onwards there is not even a price, the raisins are taken by PES AES SA and go to storage. If one also takes into account the doubling of production and living costs in recent years, the raisin producer is now in despair. The same goes for lemon producers, with the price being at 0.25 euros. Similarly, livestock farmers with the price of milk being below one euro, emphasizes the Agricultural Association of Aegialia.

Also, the high cost of production, with expensive oil, the repeated increases in the price of electricity, due to the “liberation” of energy and the “green transition”, the increases in animal feed, fertilizers, agricultural means and supplies, are problems that have brought producers in a very difficult position.

These problems are neither temporary, nor opportunistic, nor “imported”, but are a permanent problem, since all governments over time apply the directions of the EU CAP and prioritize the interests of business groups, emphasizes the Agricultural Association of Aegialia.

With the implementation of the new CAP from January 1 – without substantial information to farmers and breeders – it is moving in a worse direction than it is, with cuts of hundreds of millions of euros across the country every year, the abolition of greening, greater obstacles to new aids.

By exchanging linked aid to products and regions of the country so that with its “divide and rule” tactics, the government turns one against the other, so that they do not all turn together against its anti-agricultural policy.

The claims framework

Full replacement of the lost income in the raisin, as the minister had stated in the meeting that took place in November and for all products that were sold below cost or there were difficulties in their availability.

Reduction of production costs, with tax-free oil, reduction of the price of electricity, a ceiling of 0.07 euros per kilowatt hour, abolition of the Energy Exchange, the polluter fine.

Minimum guaranteed prices that will meet the cost of production, while ensuring a subsistence income and affordable prices of products for popular consumption.

Change of the ELGA regulation, so that it insures and compensates production and capital against all natural disasters and diseases at 100%.

They take the tractors out onto the road in Ilia

On the national road Pyrgou – Ancient Olympia, at the intersection of Pelopion, today at 11 in the morning the farmers take out their tractors. The protest gathering of the Federation of Agricultural Associations of Ilia takes place within the framework of the decisions of the pan-Hellenic block committee. The main demand is the reduction of the cultivation cost, which is prohibitive. At the same time, the agricultural world is asking for the replenishment of the lost income in raisins, oranges, horticulture, etc. “The products have been sold below the cost of production even though they reach consumption 5-10 times more expensive”, the president of the OAS, Thanasis Vompiris, told “P”.

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