He said the damage to basic crops such as tomatoes, cotton and maize was ‘almost total’, reflecting the deep anxiety and despair of farmers who have seen their produce destroyed within minutes by extreme weather.
He set as an immediate priority the rapid activation of procedures by ELGA, the Greek agricultural insurance organisation, to record the losses, calling for fair and objective assessments to begin as early as the following day. The aim, he stressed, was for producers to have a clear picture of the compensation they are owed and for the relevant procedures to begin without delay.
The Larissa MP also referred to the agricultural sector’s long-standing demand for a revision of ELGA’s regulations, noting that the growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather make it necessary to adapt the compensation system to the new climatic conditions facing Greek farming.
‘The rural world is now in a state of impoverishment, and this is no exaggeration,’ he said, conveying the heavy mood among producers. Many farmers, he emphasised, are once again watching their hard work and income disappear in a very short time, deepening their financial pressure.
In closing, he pledged to continue supporting the demands of the primary sector, calling for immediate compensation and substantial institutional measures to protect agricultural production against increasingly frequent extreme weather.
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