Sp. Libanos: Macedonia is a model for how collective schemes should be developed in agri-food

The course of important development projects in Thessaloniki, Macedonia and Thrace, concerning the stimulation of rural development, as well as infrastructure development projects for which the contribution of the Ministry of Rural Development is required, was the focus of the meeting of the Deputy Minister of Interior (Macedonia – Thrace) Stavrou Kalafatis with the Minister of Rural Development and Food Mr. Spilios Libanos, at the Governor’s Office.

In his statements immediately after the end of the meeting, the Deputy Minister of Interior (Macedonia – Thrace) Stavros Kalafatis stated:

“With my good friend the Minister of Rural Development, Spilio Libanos, we discussed the projects that contribute to the stimulation of Rural Development in areas of Northern Greece and especially in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. But also about the tools needed to advance investments in the agricultural sector. .

We also discussed the importance that our country attaches to Protected Designation of Origin products – such as feta – and the very successful and effective control policy implemented ensuring their quality. Besides, this is the important difference of Greek products. We also examined important development projects whose development requires the positive contribution of the Ministry of Rural Development. And this was agreed: The opening of Pontou Street, in Kalamaria, the importance of which was emphasized by the Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the Minister will contribute, so that the project “runs” faster. important infrastructure project, which is at a more advanced stage.

We are in constant communication and I thank the Minister of Rural Development for his excellent contribution to the resolution of issues in Macedonia and Thrace “.

The Minister of Rural Development and Food, Mr. Spilios Libanos, stated:

“Thank you all very much. Dear friend Stavros, the Deputy Minister in charge of Macedonia and Thrace for the welcome, for the hospitality. I am very happy to be in this beautiful building. We discussed the issues just mentioned by the fellow Minister. We are at any time at your disposal for any development projects in which we can contribute.And the fishing shelter is for us a priority, but also the opening of the Pontou road to which we can contribute.We will do everything possible to be fast and efficient. I want to say once again that Macedonia is a pioneer in the production, verticalization and export of agricultural products, we have very important cooperatives that are purely export-oriented throughout our Macedonia. and a model of how we should develop the collective schemes in the rest of Greece and how we should restructure the production our model to achieve what some pioneers here in Macedonia have achieved.

Today is an important day for our farmers as we specialized in the morning with the colleague Minister of Finance the measures to reduce the oil tax announced by the Prime Minister yesterday and this means that 200,000 farmers and stockbreeders will have reduced production costs. The categories of people who will enter this program are the young farmers, because we want to support the young people to enter the rural world, the participants in the contract farming program which we strongly believe should be developed and is strongly present in the North as well. Greece, members of cooperatives and members of producer groups. So, on the one hand we support farmers and stockbreeders by reducing production costs and on the other hand we give incentives in the directions we want to develop.

I had said on my last visit to Thessaloniki that I would be here very often. We had told one or one of the political leadership of the Ministry, every week in Northern Greece. Not necessarily in Thessaloniki, but in Northern Greece. We are trying to follow this and in this context, I thought and asked – and I thank him once again – from the Minister to host us here today to make the meeting with the Feta Interprofessional. Usually these meetings take place in Athens. So we thought it would be a good idea to do it here in Thessaloniki. And we will discuss with the representatives of this unique product which has a great demand and great growth in exports at the moment all over the world, the problems but also the opportunities that exist. I wish very soon to be here again, to have completed the effort in the two projects you mentioned and others have arisen so that we can help as much as we can in the development of Northern Greece “.

Immediately afterwards, the Minister of Rural Development, Mr. Spilios Libanos, chaired a meeting on Greek feta, in the “Nikolaos Martis” room of the Governor’s Office, with the participation of the Deputy Minister of Interior, in charge of Macedonia and Thrace, Mr. Stavros Kalafatis.