Greek farmers are not backing down from their refusal to meet with the prime minister unless specific commitments are made to their core demands, despite a new invitation extended by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in his Sunday post. “We are determined to spend Christmas and New Year on the roads – this is a matter of survival,” said Socrates Aleiftiras, spokesperson for the United Federation of Agricultural Associations of Larissa, speaking to Parapolitika 90.1 and Julie Tsigka, while warning of escalating protests.
Socrates Aleiftiras: The only way to defuse tensions is for the PM to give us guarantees
He called on the prime minister to review their email with demands – primarily regarding production costs – and take a position. “The only way to defuse this situation is for him to give us guarantees. Speaking in general terms and then meeting us only to say our demands cannot be satisfied for various reasons makes no sense. I have a question for the prime minister: Does he see a future for the primary sector? Does he have the political will to ensure it?” Aleiftiras said characteristically.
“Unanimous decision from 57 blockades”
“It wasn’t decided by the Nikaia blockade alone, but by representatives from 57 blockades across the country, and the decision was unanimous,” Socrates Aleiftiras emphasized, responding to the prime minister’s reference to the Nikaia blockade’s decision to refuse his invitation “for a meeting with a nationwide farmers’ delegation on Monday.” He even argued that “Mitsotakis’s moves do not serve Democracy.”
A crucial issue for farmers, as evident from Aleiftiras’s statements, is reducing production costs. “We’re asking for electricity at 7 cents per kWh. Right now they charge us 1/3 of electricity consumption at 9.3 cents while we pay for the rest at current market prices,” said the spokesperson for the United Federation of Agricultural Associations of Larissa, adding that their long-standing demands for reduced production costs include tax-free diesel fuel. And all this not just for one year.
“We don’t want to become coffee shop or butcher shop owners”
“We haven’t even been paid for 2024 yet. How can they give advance payments for future years? Where do the additional 600 million euros the prime minister promises come from? These are owed subsidies that were lost because the government didn’t conduct proper inspections,” the agricultural unionist stated.
“We don’t want to become coffee shop or butcher shop owners – we want to continue producing,” he emphasized. But why do farmers demand that OPEKEPE not be transferred to AADE? According to Socrates Aleiftiras, the Organization could have been restructured. “We don’t follow the logic of ‘if the head hurts, cut off the head.’ OPEKEPE also had a developmental character – I don’t think AADE can function in that role. The same OPEKEPE employees will transfer to AADE, so will we make different food with the same ingredients?” he argues.
“More blockades coming soon”
Regarding truck queues at customs, Aleiftiras clarifies that all vehicles pass freely, except trucks carrying imported products similar to Greek agricultural and livestock production. “And on national highways there may be delays for travelers, but we leave passage points.” However, if their basic demands aren’t satisfied, the spokesperson for the United Federation of Agricultural Associations of Larissa announces escalation of their mobilizations with reinforced blockades.
