Farmers protest fails to take off

FARMERS’ plans to demonstrate outside the Presidential Palace and demand a statement from the President were thrown into disarray yesterday by the President’s departure to Strasbourg.

Around 170 vehicles congregated at the new GSP stadium yesterday morning as part of an organised demonstration against the government’s proposed offer of drought compensation, which cattle farmers believe is insufficient.

The convoy of trucks and farming vehicles was scheduled to head to the Presidential Palace and intercept the President before he left for Larnaca airport, on his way to Strasbourg.

The farming union leaders who had been expecting the President to leave Nicosia in the afternoon belatedly found that the he had departed at 10.20 in the morning.

“I would like to believe that when the president hears what we have to say, he will reconsider the sum of compensation that has been offered to us,” said Agricultural spokesman Kyriakos Kailas, “and re-evaluate current agricultural policies, which have also been detrimental to farmers’ revenue.”

In a statement to CyBC yesterday, Christofias said the drought compensation would not be increased, and repeated that the sums demanded by farmers could not feasibly be paid by the state.

Kailas said that a meeting with the president would be scheduled on his return to Cyprus, and he was hopeful that a solution could be achieved.

When commenting on the misunderstanding over the President’s departure time, Kailas said that they had received the information from trusted sources, and an unexpected change in the President’s travel schedule must have occurred.

The convoy of vehicles drove past the Presidential Palace but departed peacefully from Nicosia via Tseri Avenue, accompanied by police escort.

No incidents were reported apart from some traffic congestion caused by the slow moving farming vehicles around midday.

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