The four-month extension of the program for cheap rural electricity was announced a while ago by the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during his visit to the Ministry of Rural Development, where he met with the new minister, Costas Tsiaras.

“I want to emphasize the importance of the GAIA program, which I believe has not been made as well known as it could be to our farmers, to ensure low and predictable prices for a certain period of time. That is why we will extend the specific program,” said Mr. Mitsotakis.

Regarding the new regulation of ELGA, he said that it will come to the cabinet for approval before the end of the summer, while speaking about OPEKEPE, he emphasized that the agricultural sector will continue to receive their subsidies, stressing, however, that “only those who really will receive them produce”.

For his part, the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Kostas Tsiaras he pointed out that “the prime minister has given us specific directions based on a specific government plan concerning according to which we must move with speed in the direction of major changes and reforms”.

He also added that the primary sector is facing major challenges such as climate change, increased production costs and the new CAP.

Mr. Tsiaras noted that an order was given by the prime minister “to stand by the people of labor and make their lives easier”.

The prime minister, after wishing good success to the new leadership of the ministry, noted that in the last 5 years important work has been done, which must be continued and accelerated, stressing that the importance of the primary sector is self-evident.

“We have proven in practice that we stand with the working people, addressing structural issues related to the cost of production,” he continued. Mr. Mitsotakis referred to new mechanism for refunding excise duty on agricultural oilto the issues related to the rural stream and to the GAIA program which he said would be extended as well as to interventions to reduce the cost of fertilizers, animal feed.

“The problems we face with multinationals in the food sector, it seems we also face them in the field of pesticides”, he noted and repeated that “such practices will not be tolerated”.

Mr. Mitsotakis said that there was also a discussion about the great opportunities and challenges of the primary sector during the new European cycle. “The green transition is a reality. It must be done quickly, without unnecessary bureaucracy, without strangling the producers and especially the small producers”, he stressed.

The prime minister said the big challenge is investing in quality and added value. This, he said, means more farmer cooperation, more investment in technology and education and training primarily of professional farmers.

“It is imperative to rationalize the agricultural insurance mechanism and make it fairer and the same applies to OPEKEPE. There is one non-negotiable rule for the government. They collect support, subsidies, those who really deserve them. And the mind understood. We still have steps to take in this direction”, he underlined.

The prime minister declared himself optimistic about the future of the primary sector and said that Greece has its own distinct role to play in foreign markets, but mainly by offering a decent income for our farmers, breeders and fishermen.

For his part, the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Kostas Tsiaras he pointed out that “the prime minister has given us specific directions based on a specific government plan concerning according to which we must move with speed in the direction of major changes and reforms”.

He also added that the primary sector is facing major challenges such as climate change, increased production costs and the new CAP. Finally, Mr. Tsiaras noted that an order was given by the Prime Minister “to stand by the people of the labor and make their lives easier”.

It is noted that the meeting that lasted an hour and a half was attended by the Minister of State, Akis Skertsos, the Deputy Ministers to the Prime Minister, Thanasis Kontogiorgis and Giorgos Mylonakis, the Deputy Ministers of Agricultural Development and Food, Dionysis Stamenitis and Christos Kellas, the of Coordination at the Presidency of the Government, Evi Dramaliotis, the of YPAAT, Giorgos Stratakos, Costas Baginetas and Dimitris Papagiannidis, the president of ELGA, Andreas Lykourentzos, the president of OPEKEPE, Kyriakos Babasidis and officials of YPAAT.