The final prices compensations for plant production in Thessaly will be determined when there is a complete picture and will be in the same spirit in which they moved advancesemphasized the Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Lefteris Avgenakis, in his meeting with farmers at the offices of the Thessaly tomato producers’ cooperative, THESTO.

Although the EU has given ELGA four years to implement the Ad Hoc compensation program of 260 million euros with which the Agency has been strengthened by the state budget, it was announced that the repayments they should be completed until June 30, 2024.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications also made reference to what has been done to date, from the prevention of the health crisis to the payment of advances of 150 million in record time.

Today, Saturday, the Minister of Rural Development at 11.00, at the City Hall of Karditsa will have a meeting with Interprofessional Vamvakos and at 12.30 in the Karditsa Chamber building will have a conference with representatives of the Chambers of the country, on the issue of establishing Agricultural Departments in the Chambers. In the afternoon he will visit the Parakarlian areas.

The president of the cooperative organization THESGI, Panagiotis Kalfuntzos, handed the minister a series requests of farmers which concern the coverage of fixed capital compensations, the transition to dry crops, the cleaning of fields from portable materials, the implementation of the denitrification program, the support program for producers in the Parakarlian areas, the deviation from the rules of land use, the implementation of net metering and their inclusion in investment plans.

With regard to the transition from irrigated to dry crops, it became clear that there is a possibility that fields that were irrigated and for reasons not responsible for the producer are led to dry farming through an EU program can activate a relevant ecological scheme to cover any losses that arise .

Regarding the denitrification program, the platform for applications will soon be opened, while it was made clear that the program is implemented based on the areas determined by the maps issued by the Ministry of Energy and Environment. It is noted that for Thessaly the denitrification program reaches a total of 150 million euros. For those enrolled in the second program for which the call ends on February 21, 2024, an extension of one year will be granted.

Has been commitment of the minister to examined the possibility of granting employment permit to farmers and in other professional areas.

On the question of increasing the scoring rate in community programs, he recalled that, by his decision, all of the country’s runners-up were included in the Young Farmers programs and, for Thessaly, all the runners-up in the Improvement Plans. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced that in the new programs that will be opened, the possibility of increasing the scoring rate is being considered. While the government will soon announce subsidies for the students of the affected areas.

Regarding the request for lendingthe minister said that is being considered in cooperation with the co-competent ministries, while he reminded that the Microcredit Fund also operates.

It was also announced that based on the possibility given by the Community regulation for cases of force majeure, the possibility of deviations from the religiousness program is being considered.

Some of the requests of the producers concern other ministries, while in some others there is competence.

So far, half a billion has been paid by the government for the reconstruction of the region and a total of over 3 billion will be needed. As he clarified, the final master plan will be given by the HVA International company that has undertaken it, at the end of February.

Mr. Avgenakis emphasized that due to the climate crisis, we should not be complacent and assured everyone that everything will be done in due time in order for Thessaly to recover and become a model in terms of the primary sector.