Farmers told "new government" will solve their problems

Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic on Wednesday met with dissatisfied farmers from Vojvodina, in northern Serbia, to advise them against protesting by blocking roads. At the same time, the parliament speaker and the country's acting president told the farmers the contentious issue of subsidies would be resolved "by a new government". Elections will be held in Serbia on May 6. Farmers told "new government" will solve their problems The protesters want to state to revert to the previous system of subsidies where they received money per size of land rather than kilogram of sold crops. At the meeting in Belgrade, Djukic-Dejanovic also noted that it was "not realistic to solve some things in the pre-election period". The farmers on Wednesday blocked several roads in Vojvodina, also demanding for the Strategy of Rural Development to be implemented - "because it is the condition for access to EU's IPA funds". But Djukic-Dejanovic, who is also a high-ranking official of the ruling Socialist Party (SPS) warned them that "the manner in which they expressed their dissatisfaction would be seen as being connected to certain political manipulations". She told reporters after the meeting that this assertion was "discussed frankly" today. Asked to elaborate on her claim, the speaker said the farmers were "being manipulated by those who wish to give negative marks to the current government and the Ministry of Agriculture". But she added that she "neither wished to, nor was able to, due to the office she holds", to identify the culprits. Djukic-Dejanovic further stated that since the farmers were protesting against a government decree, they were in the wrong place "knocking on parliament's door", since this institution "does not discuss decrees". She revealed that the protesters "left the meeting still convinced that the government and some politicians did not show enough understanding for them", and expressed her hope that "force would not be used against them - but that they also should not be using force when it comes to the movement of the citizens". The farmers, Djukic-Dejanovic continued, "would have been happier had they met with Agriculture Minister Dusan Petrovic", while she for her part "tried to convince them, using the force of arguments, that soon after May 6 a new government would solve their problems". As for the reasons that prompted her to receive the protesting farmers today - the speaker and acting president said it was "not good for the citizens to live in fear over blocked roads and possible incidents in a pre-elections period", and that it was "in that sense" that she "felt the need to talk to them". Police and protesting farmers are seen in Vojovodina on Wednesday (Tanjug) Beta

Farmers told "new government" will solve their problems

The protesters want to state to revert to the previous system of subsidies where they received money per size of land rather than kilogram of sold crops.

At the meeting in Belgrade, Đukić-Dejanović also noted that it was "not realistic to solve some things in the pre-election period".

The farmers on Wednesday blocked several roads in Vojvodina, also demanding for the Strategy of Rural Development to be implemented - "because it is the condition for access to EU's IPA funds".

But Đukić-Dejanović, who is also a high-ranking official of the ruling Socialist Party (SPS) warned them that "the manner in which they expressed their dissatisfaction would be seen as being connected to certain political manipulations". She told reporters after the meeting that this assertion was "discussed frankly" today.

Asked to elaborate on her claim, the speaker said the farmers were "being manipulated by those who wish to give negative marks to the current government and the Ministry of Agriculture".

But she added that she "neither wished to, nor was able to, due to the office she holds", to identify the culprits.

Đukić-Dejanović further stated that since the farmers were protesting against a government decree, they were in the wrong place "knocking on parliament's door", since this institution "does not discuss decrees".

She revealed that the protesters "left the meeting still convinced that the government and some politicians did not show enough understanding for them", and expressed her hope that "force would not be used against them - but that they also should not be using force when it comes to the movement of the citizens".

The farmers, Đukić-Dejanović continued, "would have been happier had they met with Agriculture Minister Dušan Petrović", while she for her part "tried to convince them, using the force of arguments, that soon after May 6 a new government would solve their problems".

As for the reasons that prompted her to receive the protesting farmers today - the speaker and acting president said it was "not good for the citizens to live in fear over blocked roads and possible incidents in a pre-elections period", and that it was "in that sense" that she "felt the need to talk to them".