30th Agrotica inauguration: Agriculture Min issues invitation to farmers to sit at talks; 'government stands by you'

An invitation to protesting primary sector members to sit at talks with the leadership of the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food was issued on Thursday by Minister Lefteris Avgenakis, during his address inaugurating the 30th Agrotica Fair (Feb. 1-4) in Thessaloniki, organized by the International Thessaloniki Fair-Helexpo.

Speaking at the Thessaloniki International Expo Center, Avgenakis said, "We are available for collaboration and a joint effort at national and European level. You are not alone, we are together, with joint concerns and willingness to find a solution and provide answers to issues."

Avgenakis called the mobilizations of farmers in Greece and throughout Europe as 'fair' and said their protests "provide the opportunity to highlight serious problems, which crush their efforts. These are problems we know, and we are working collectively to provide substantial answers and to alleviate anxieties, fears and uncertainty about their future."

He also noted that the fact Agrotica included nearly 2,000 exhibitors "highlights the importance of the agrofood sector in the business world, in economic development, and in social cohesion."

During his address, the minister referred to the repercussions of the climate crisis, including on the 'health of the soil', which he termed "an explosive global threat with unbelievable repercussions to the global economy and especially social cohesion, due to the increasingly larger rise of needs for the production of food." He also outlined the general measures to support agricultural production, from Greek and EU funding, and the projects they related to including linking production with tourism and culture, supporting vulnerable regions, investing in aquaculture, and the upgrade of land reclamation works.

Avgenakis also addressed the efforts to improve the operation of OPEKEPE (which handles EU farm funding); continuing the inspections of the market and the entrance gates to Greece to protect consumers, dairy producers, and Greek farmers; protecting the price of milk; and the international initiatives for the primary sector. He also spoke of Thessaly and the challenge of restoring the region's production, a key supplier of food for the country.

The inauguration was attended by agriculture ministers of Cyprus, Malta, and Bulgaria, as well as an official of UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), besides Greek officials.