Farmers from Batočina, Uba, Lapovo and Rača took to the streets with tractors yesterday morning. They are asking the state to reduce the prices of diesel and mineral fertilizers, so that they can do the spring sowing of wheat. Another problem facing farmers is the reduction of subsidies for farmers by the state.
According to farmers from Ub, the situation is unbearable – the price of fertilizer is one euro per kilogram, and if they want to buy 100 kilograms, they need to sell three acres of land.
Serbian farmers say they are powerless in the face of rising prices for basic resources they need for production, primarily outraged by the price of oil and mineral fertilizers.
They first began to express their anger through specialized groups for farmers on social networks, and then spontaneously gathered in various places in Serbia.
According to the data from the website subsidcije.rs, during the ten years of the rule of the Serbian Progressive Party, the amount of subsidies dropped from 14,000 to 4,000 dinars per hectare of land.
“We are asking for an increase in subsidies, ie the return of what was taken away from farmers by previous regulations. Specifically, we are asking for 200 euros per hectare for crop production per hectare for areas up to 100 hectares and we are asking for 60 liters of oil per hectare without excise duty for farmers up to 100 hectares.” , said the president of the Association of Banat Farmers, Dragan Kleut.
As farmers emphasize, their demands are not unrealistic, and when the situation in the country is compared to the region, Serbian farmers are in the most unenviable position.
Speaking to Nova, Dejan Bulatovic, vice president of the Freedom and Justice Party, said farmers have been facing problems since the Serbian Progressive Party, led by Aleksandar Vucic, came to power.
“They immediately, 10 years ago, lowered subsidies from 12,000 to 4,000 per hectare. So, they immediately” hit “agriculture, especially farmers, and the situation is gradually getting worse every year,” says Bulatovic, explaining that the government has been around for a decade. forcing large farms.
On the other hand, small farms, such as those in villages throughout Serbia, have been waiting for too low subsidies for two or three years.
Excessive prices of corn, premixes and various cereals lead to no benefit to farmers. Namely, farmers who keep at least three cows are entitled to the subsidy, and they are, according to our interlocutor, extremely small. Incentives for milk are particularly low, and are several months late.
“Personally, Aleksandar Vučić said that there will be a premium for milk from the state, and that never happened. Branislav Nedimović said that everything will be better in agriculture, and people are still throwing tomatoes and potatoes, fertilizers have risen by 200 percent. “The biggest problem is that the government has no solution for the situation we are in,” Bulatovic explains.
According to him, the solution lies in opening a fertilizer factory in Serbia, because agricultural inputs are imported more than ever, and the land is leased or sold to foreigners. There are not enough seeds, and what is available is too expensive, and the same situation is with fertilizers and chemicals for the protection of agricultural products, and that is why production in Serbia is necessary.
“The state must be a partner, and not just promise and take taxes,” emphasizes the interlocutor of “Nova”, adding that it is necessary that everyone, even if they kept one cow or sheep, is entitled to subsidies, and that is the way the state helps farmers.
“People are angry – they see Minister Nedimović as a model, he does not interfere in his work. He deals with the crown and welcoming guests from abroad, but he does not care about our villages. Farmers say he is not welcome,” says Bulatović.
Bulatovic also referred to fuel prices, which are rising, and explained that the state must provide farmers with excise-free fuel, the so-called “blue fuel”, Nova writes.
