Thousands of tractors are withdrawing from blockades on national highways and at border customs checkpoints across Greece, bringing to an end 54 consecutive days of the most dynamic agricultural mobilizations the country has seen in the past 35 years. The withdrawal began yesterday (21st January) and is expected to be completed by Friday (23rd January), facilitating normal vehicle traffic.
© Fotis Karabetsos | FreshPlaza.com
The decision to open the roads and customs checkpoints was taken after the general assemblies held by farmers at each blockade in order to assess the outcome of the meeting they had with the government on Monday, January 19. At this meeting, the government remained firm in its refusal to satisfy the farmers' main demands, making only minor concessions on secondary issues. As stated by the Greek Prime Minister, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in an interview following the meeting: "Any solution to the structural problems of the primary sector must first and above all respect the country's fiscal capacities."
Mr. Rizos Maroudas, a fruit producer, head of the tractor blockade in Nikaia, one of the two largest nationwide, and the main representative of all blockades, stated after the decision of the blockade's general assembly for the tractors to withdraw: "The government hid behind fiscal limits and European rules, refusing to satisfy our basic demands and proving that with their policy they do not want us in production."
© Fotis Karabetsos | FreshPlaza.com
"Whatever was given, whatever was gained, was the result of this struggle, the pressure of the roadblocks and the support expressed by the entire Greek people, who were and remain by our side. Of course, we are not satisfied, because the major problem of survival, insecurity about the future, and remaining in our fields remains. The government committed to nothing regarding the compensation of lost income, which was our pressing demand, given the prices at which we sell and the damages we have suffered to our products," he added.
However, farmers from all the dismantled blockades emphasize that they will not stop their mobilizations, but will simply continue with other forms of struggle. Already in the coming days, rallies and tractor gatherings are being prepared in major provincial cities throughout Greece, while farmers are in a phase of coordination and discussion regarding the possibility of an immediate nationwide gathering with tractors in the capital, Athens.
