Farmers have ended their demonstration outside the Presidential Palace grounds following the resolution of a standoff with the government.
However, farmers in Paphos promised on Wednesday morning to block the road to the town’s airport if the planned meeting between Agriculture Minister Petros Xenophontos and wheat and potato producers regarding government subsidies has no positive outcome.
The farmers are set to gather in the village of Timi, near the airport, with their tractors on Wednesday morning, and will then move to block the road to the airport should the meeting end without success.
The Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture briefed demonstrators yesterday on the President’s directives, confirming the government’s commitment to allocate €4.3 million – €6 per acre for cereals and €55 per acre for potatoes.
Moreover, the Ministry of Agriculture has expressed openness to consider the remaining requests outlined in a memorandum presented to the President.
Before their protest, cereal and potato producers successfully negotiated an increase in economic support from the initially proposed €2.78 million to €4.3 million.
In a joint statement, agricultural organizations Pek, Nea Agrotiki and Evroagrotikos expressed satisfaction with the government’s decision, considering it positive given the prevailing circumstances.
Meanwhile, potato producers’ representative Andreas Karios confirmed to CyBC radio on Wednesday morning that the meeting would be held at 9am, following protests on Tuesday at the Presidential palace against a perceived lack of government support for the sector.
He had told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) on Tuesday evening that the Agriculture ministry had informed potato producers of a reinstatement of the government’s planned €4.2 million subsidy.
He had added that following the arrangement of a meeting, they had decided to call the protest off “despite the fact that all the protestors expressed reservations about the effectiveness of the government’s proposal.”
( Source:In-Cyprus,Cyprus Mail)
