“We will all work hard for the revival of the agri-food sector” said the new Minister of Rural Development and Food Lefteris Avgenakis, during the handover ceremony, adding that “there is not a minute to lose, we have no right not to be consistent in our commitments to Greek people after the strong mandate we received”.

He described himself as “a devotee of results” heralding hard work to strengthen the agri-food sector.

He stated that “it is our duty to fully justify the mandate for the country to continue steadily, boldly and forward. It is a great responsibility to give a dynamic boost to the “steam engine” of the primary sector, which plays such a vital role for our Greece”.

He thanked the service minister Giorgos Tsakiris, “for the warm welcome and information” but also “my predecessors Mr. Voridis, Livanos and Georgandas, for the work they have bequeathed to us”.

The primary goal, as noted by Mr. Avgenakis, is to “be in constant contact with the producers and all the agencies involved, to cooperate and deal with the problems at their root” adding, among other things, that “we will be there in the fields and in the units to provide solutions”.

Speaking about Greek agri-food products, the minister emphasized that “they are world-renowned for their top quality and beneficial properties” noting that “they are our powerful “weapon” for further extroversion and further development of the agri-food sector”.

For his part, the outgoing Minister of Rural Development and Food, Giorgos Tsakiris, during his installation, which took place online as he is in Thessaloniki for an international conference, said that “a little trip we had for a month is over. We accomplished a lot this month.”

Among the steps taken, as he said, is the initiation of the IACS declaration process and the quick payment of compensations for the disasters caused in Northern Greece.

“We are starting today a great fight because the climate crisis and its consequences are here” said the Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food, Dionysios Stamenitis.

At the same time, he underlined that the conditions should be created “so that more young people can join primary production”.

Finally, the Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Food, Stavros Keletsis, spoke about a traditional but at the same time modern ministry that has to do with an object that is intertwined with the future of the country.