Northern Greek farmers heading to Athens for rally

Northern Greek farmers on Wednesday were heading to Athens to hold a rally scheduled for 13.00, while keeping their tractors at roadblocks across the country.

Farmers estimate that other sectors’ employees as well as citizens protesting against toll fees hikes will participate in the rally in central Athens.

At Malgara toll station outside the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, farmers were giving away rice and handing out flyers with their demands to passing-by drivers, farmers’ representatives Fanis Albanis told ANA-MPA.

Farmers at the Kouloura junction in Imathia are in a wait-and-see stance ahead of a meeting between central Macedonia deputies and Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras. Although the exact day of the meeting has not been set yet, the two sides are expected to discuss issues such as taxation and production cost.
Costas Lioliopoulos, vice-president of the Imathia farmers’ movement, said he hoped that even some of their demands would be met so that the whole issue could be settled.

On Thursday, farmers at Kouloura will hold a rally outside the Macedonia-Thrace ministry at 12.00.

Farmers in Lakonia, south Peloponnese, blocked the entrance of Sparti tax offices for a second day using agricultural products such as olives and oranges.

Farmers have set up six roadblocks in the region and cut off traffic for few minutes during the day.
Lakonia farmers’ representative Christos Anagnostakos told ANA-MPA that their main concern is the taxation measures which “will effectively wipe out the agricultural sector”, adding that this “taxation law aims at and will hit smaller farmers.”