This morning, agricultural producers from the “Stiga” association began a protest by driving 180 tractors to Požarevac, where about 70 more farmers joined them to block traffic. They are protesting the announced price of 17 dinars per kilogram for new crop wheat, which they consider too low to be sustainable.
Nedeljko Savić, president of the association, told Beta agency that frustration grew after the Minister of Agriculture, Dragan Glamočić, postponed a meeting last week without rescheduling. Since then, no contact has been made by the Ministry, making protests their only option. Savić emphasized the unprofitability by saying it takes five to six kilograms of wheat to produce a liter of mineral water.
Other farmer groups have demanded the Republic Commodity Reserve buy wheat at 26 dinars per kilogram. Minister Glamočić called this price acceptable but said budget approval from the Finance Minister is needed.
The Ministry of Agriculture stated that prices for new wheat never exceed those for old wheat and noted similar prices in neighboring countries (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary). They announced plans for the Directorate of Commodity Reserves to buy part of this year’s crop at a “stimulative price,” but details remain unclear.
Additionally, “Stiga” farmers face issues with subsidies on leased land. Despite regulations that allocate 18,000 dinars per hectare to cultivators, landowners often keep the subsidy money for themselves.
