Grape growers’ gripes continue

THE government yesterday stopped short of pledging further assistance to grape growers, despite the prospect of industrial action.

Farming organisations met with President Tassos Papadopoulos yesterday to discuss problems facing the agriculture sector after EU accession, but failed to extract any pledges on the problem of surplus grapes.

Agriculture Minister Timis Efthymiou said the meeting had been planned 15 days in advance to discuss the various problems faced after EU accession in agriculture in general and was not called to solve the gripe of grape growers.

Efthymiou said the President had made it clear that the government was not planning to add to the decisions previously announced to support grape growers. After the meeting, grape farmers expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of specific proposals to deal with their problem, repeating their demand that the government increase compensation to growers. They refused to rule out drastic measures.

Meanwhile, grape growers met in Pissouri last night to discuss the latest developments. They drew up a list of proposals, which they will submit to the Agriculture Minister this morning for approval.

The problem lies with the fact that the EU does not permit direct subsidies to grape growers, as was previously the case.

Earlier in the week, the farmers warned that relatively low-key acts of protest would turn more extreme this week if their demands were not met.

On Sunday, a group of farmers cut off one lane of the Limassol-Paphos highway for 15 minutes in a move intended to raise public awareness and urge the government to take immediate measures.

Grape growers say that some 60 thousand tons of produce risk remaining unsold unless the government figures out a way to promoting the goods on the local market.

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