Farmers from the Kochani region today again protested and blocked one lane of the highway Kochani – Shtip with mechanization. They said that this way they express their dissatisfaction with the slow resolution of the situation in the rice production and with the low purchase prices of arpa and white rice.
They demand immediate payment of subsidies and a purchase price agreement.
“The Ministry of Agriculture needs to get involved urgently. First to pay the regular subsidies for rice by the end of October, and then to hold a joint meeting between government officials and farmers to determine acceptable purchase prices that would not be lower than 25 denars per kilogram of harp. The situation and the movement of rice prices on the stock exchanges in Italy point to this. Maybe some of the buyers are facing stocks from last year and that is why a reaction from the Government is needed here with a possible purchase of commodity reserves. We have a dozen other requests that need to be discussed, but we are now mentioning what is most important for farmers now,” said Stavre Janev from the Independent Trade Union of Individual Farmers.
