Ways to make the most of it Leader so as to contribute to the effort for reconstruction of Thessaly and strengthening of social cohesion in the region, the Minister of Rural Development and Food Lefteris Avgenakis and the representatives of the Development Associations of the four prefectures of Thessaly, which manage Leader, discussed in a meeting held at the Chamber of Karditsa.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister Lefteris Stamenitis, Secretary General Dimitris Papagiannidis and Costas Baginetas, the president of ELGA Andreas Lykourentzos, the vice presidents of ELGO DIMITRA Nektarios Vidakis and OPEKEPE Kyriakos Babasidis.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications emphasized that in Thessaly they have so far 150,000,000 euros have been allocated for compensation advances in terms of agricultural production, while in total the government has allocated approximately 500,000,000 euros.

The forecast of the total money that will be allocated for the reconstruction of the area will exceed 3.5 billion Mr. Avgenakis also reminded that all the runners-up have joined the improvement plans, an increase of 20,000,000 euros in the relevant program.

The development chiefs suggested ways to further strengthen the rural road construction that has been affected.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister’s program of visits to affected areas continued as normal.

Stamenitis: We implement our commitments

A parallel program is being followed by the Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food, Dionysis Stamenitis, in the context of the presence of the leadership of the FSAAT in Thessaly, under the Minister Lefteris Avgenakis.

On Thursday the Deputy Ministers, Dionysis Stamenitis and Stavros Keletsis, together with the General Secretary of Rural Development and Food, Giorgos Stratakos, met with representatives of the sugar beet producers, with whom there was an extensive discussion on the structural problems faced by the crop, but also on the its prospects.

On Friday, the Deputy Minister Dionysis Stamenitis, accompanied by the President of ELGA, Andreas Lykourentzos and the General Secretary of Rural Development and International Relations, Konstantinos Bagineta, visited the ELGA Larissa Branch, where a meeting was held with the officials. During the workshop, the issue of the timing of damages due to the DANIEL storm disasters was discussed at length, with those present prioritizing the next steps. It was clearly emphasized that the timetable will be respected, exactly as it has been announced by the political leadership of the HYPAAT. At the same time, the rest of the pending issues of the Organization to the producers, related to the losses of the year 2023, beyond DANIEL, were also discussed. Meanwhile, reference was also made to the Ministry’s planning for the reform of ELGA, which is in the final stage of preparation and aims to adapt the insurance regulation to the new data created by the Climate Crisis as well as the financial viability of the Organization. At the end of the meeting, the Deputy Minister, Dionysis Stamenitis, said: “We are once again in Thessaly, under Minister Lefteris Avgenakis, for the coordination and monitoring of the work of the FSAAT with the central aim of supporting the producers affected by the extreme weather phenomenon. We are on a very good path, continuing the effort and keeping our commitments”.

Later on the same day, the Deputy Minister, Dionysis Stamenitis, together with the General Secretaries of the FSA, Dimitris Papagiannidis and Konstantinos Bagineta, and the Member of Parliament for Larissa of the New Republic, Christos Kapetanos, visited the Municipality of Agia. There they met with the Mayor, Antonis Goundaras and then, in the City Hall building, a wide meeting was held with the representatives of the chestnut, apple, cherry and kiwi cooperatives. In the long meeting, the problems faced by crops, whether they are products of DANIEL’s invasion or related to production cost issues, were discussed at length. The Deputy Minister, Dionysis Stamenitis, commented on the speed with which the government acted in the face of an unprecedented phenomenon, noting at the same time that the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, consistent with what it has committed to the producers, continues the implementation of the policies for the total restoration of the plain of Thessaly and its passage on the following day.

Finally, the Deputy Minister visited Farsala, where he had a meeting with the Board of Directors. and members of the Cotton Producers Organization “COTTON FARSALA” while later together with his colleague the Deputy Minister, Stavros Keletsis, the President of ELGA, Andreas Lykourentzos and the General Secretary, Konstantinos Bagineta, were at the facilities of the Agricultural Cooperative of Farsala District “ENIPEAS”. Larisa MPs of New Democracy, Christos Kapetanos and Maximos Harakopoulos, were also present at the meetings.

Statement on the meeting with Interprofessional Vamvakos:

On Saturday, during the meeting with the Interprofessional Cotton Association, the FSA Dionysis Stamenitis emphasized: “Cotton, the “White Gold” of the country, is an emblematic crop that we all must support. Let’s not forget that in our country, approximately 3 million hectares of cotton are cultivated, employing thousands of families in the territory, which are estimated at 45,000, while offering work to 10,000 people. Today we discuss the problems and see what are the next steps that are important to take, in this direction, in collaboration with the Interprofessional, for which we must say that if it is not the best, it is one of the best Interprofessional in the country .

The order of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis from the first moment is to act immediately and to work for the quick restoration of the damages caused by the severe bad weather DANIEL”.

Keletsis: Priority in strengthening livestock production

The Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food Stavros Keletsis participated in the government meeting that took place on Thursday at the Karditsa Town Hall, while in the afternoon of the same day, he met with sugar beet producers as well as livestock farmers from Falani, Giannouli and Terpsithea.

On Friday, he participated in the echelon of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications that met with beekeepers, poultry farmers, pig farmers and the Panhellenic Coordinating Committee of Livestock Breeders, in Karditsa. Afterwards, Mr. Keletsis, head of the Ministry of AAT, visited the Cotton Producers Organization Farsala, the agricultural cooperative ENIPEA in Farsala, the Agricultural Cooperative THESTO and finally participated in the meeting of the Federation of Livestock Breeders of Thessaly, at the town hall of Elassona.

On Saturday, he participated in the meeting held at the Chamber in Karditsa, and then met with fishermen at the Karditsa Town Hall and visited the Tyrnavos Wine Cooperative.

In his statements, the deputy minister referred to the decisive importance for the reconstruction of Thessaly of the strengthening of the primary sector and especially of livestock which covers 18% of the national livestock production. “We are and will be on the side of our farmers. The reconstruction of Thessaly is a national goal for our Government and we are determined to work hard to achieve it”, emphasized Mr. Keletsis.