Agriculture ministry, farmers reach agreement

A delegation of farmers and the Agriculture Ministry reached agreement Saturday at the Serbian government building on subsidies for 2012. Under the agreement, all roadblocks in Vojvodina and part of central Serbia will be removed immediately. Agriculture ministry, farmers reach agreement Agriculture and Trade Minister Dusan Petrovic said they agreed on a combined model of subsidies, meaning farmers will get RSD 12,500 per hectare, but the money for diesel fuel and advance for the spring sowing will be subtracted from this amount. He said the money would be paid out by the end of September. The minister said there would be strict control whether the fields were sown with the crops for which the subsidies were given. "The condition for getting subsidies remains a referential yield, depending on the district," added Petrovic. He said the new model accomplished two goals - increasing yield and productivity, and increasing the number of subsidy recipients from 82,000 to 250,000. Miroslav Ivkovic, one of the leaders of the farmers' protest, said after the meeting that their four demands had been met and roads would be unblocked within the hour. Asked why they blocked roads so close to the election, he said "it was the right way to show the new government what it can expect if it does not meet the farmers' demands," adding the protest was not politically motivated. Dusan Petrovic and farmers' representatives (Tanjug) Tanjug

Agriculture ministry, farmers reach agreement

Agriculture and Trade Minister Dušan Petrović said they agreed on a combined model of subsidies, meaning farmers will get RSD 12,500 per hectare, but the money for diesel fuel and advance for the spring sowing will be subtracted from this amount. He said the money would be paid out by the end of September.

The minister said there would be strict control whether the fields were sown with the crops for which the subsidies were given.

"The condition for getting subsidies remains a referential yield, depending on the district," added Petrović.

He said the new model accomplished two goals - increasing yield and productivity, and increasing the number of subsidy recipients from 82,000 to 250,000.

Miroslav Ivković, one of the leaders of the farmers' protest, said after the meeting that their four demands had been met and roads would be unblocked within the hour.

Asked why they blocked roads so close to the election, he said "it was the right way to show the new government what it can expect if it does not meet the farmers' demands," adding the protest was not politically motivated.