Venko Filipche announces SDSM will propose measures to help winegrowers
At a meeting in Tremnik he said Vranec grapes are going unsold while white grapes fetch 14 denars/kg; SDSM will draft parliamentary aid measures.
Venko Filipche said on Friday that SDSM will table concrete measures in parliament to help winegrowers after a meeting with producers in the village of Tremnik near Negotino, where growers described unsold and devalued crops.
Growers told Filipche that black Vranec grapes are not being purchased and are rotting in the fields, while white grapes are being bought at a humiliating 14 denars per kilogram. Filipche warned this is not only a local problem but one affecting vineyards across the country.
"In a situation where the government has 5.5 million euros for David Guetta, there is no money for the winegrowers," Filipche said, criticising the current administration’s priorities.
Previous SDSM proposals and the new push
Filipche recalled that under SDSM-led governments subsidies were raised and paid on time, and that emergency interventions were used when producers faced crises. "Subsidies were increased and paid on time; whenever winegrowers faced problems, SDSM governments adopted emergency measures, which is not the case now with the VMRO government," he said.
According to Filipche, SDSM will prepare a targeted support proposal that will reflect what is happening on the ground: how many growers have delivered grapes for purchase, how many have not, and how much fruit is spoiling in the fields due to rain and other causes. "We will prepare a proposal-measure to support the winegrowers according to the situation on the ground — how many have delivered grapes for purchase, how many have not, how much of the grapes are spoiling in the fields and from the rain, and on that basis we will as soon as possible submit an appropriate proposal in the Assembly to help the winegrowers," he said.
Earlier this season SDSM had already proposed increasing the buying price by 5 denars per kilogram, eliminating an 8 percent discount demanded for faster payment, and an emergency state purchase of unsold black grapes, but the government did not accept those measures. Filipche said SDSM will now submit a bill to raise the purchase price by 5 denars per kilogram.
Photo: press material from the event
