Greek farmers protest against rising production costs

Thousands of Greek farmers have protested in the center of Athens over rising production costs. They protested that the cost of production increased at a time when government assistance was needed.

Farmers demonstrated in front of Parliament by driving around 150 tractors on national highways and border crossings. They raised slogans like ‘no farmer, no food, no future’.

They said the government forced the farmers to leave the land. They asked the government to allow farmers to earn their living.

In 2023, the cost of electricity has increased by 84 percent. They say that the price of fertilizer has also skyrocketed. Farmers’ unions have held talks with the Greek government several times recently.

The government has announced a package aimed at reducing the burden on farmers, including immediate compensation for damage caused by natural disasters, lower prices for electricity and fuel used in primary sectors, and tax exemptions. But protesters on Tuesday said the measures were insufficient to help them continue farming their farms.

They have asked for more generous concessions on energy costs. They also demand more subsidies on supplies, fertilizers and animal feed, more protection of domestic products from unfair competition by stopping the labeling of non-grease manufactured products. But the government has said that there is no place to give more money now.

On Tuesday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to discuss farmers’ issues in recent days, from France to Poland and Greece.