Levica: DPMNE is lying that it solved Strumica farmers' problems — buyers still dictate the price

The Left (Levica) accused the ruling party of falsely claiming it resolved the crisis for farmers around Strumica, arguing that buyers still set the price and that farmers remain exposed.

"Minister Serafimovski has nothing to boast about and should not try to blindfold Strumica's farmers with some informal agreement with the buyers. Farmers are angry because they have been led to bare subsistence, and what the Ministry offers is not a systemic guarantee. Who guarantees that the agreed 40 denars for first class, 30 denars for mixed first and second class and 15 denars for waste will actually be paid? Who guarantees that tomorrow the buyer will not reclassify the pepper again and buy it at a lower price? No one! Because there is no legal provision that obliges him to do so. The state again leaves the farmer alone before the buyer, although the farmer has already invested his money, labour and the whole season into that crop," the party said.

Levica also pointed out that the pepper price was only one of the farmers' demands during the protests and urged the minister from DPMNE to answer other outstanding issues. The party says subsidies remain unpaid and that officials have been telling farmers for two months that the payment systems are down, while people continue to visit regional Ministry offices to apply for next-season support.

The statement accused the authorities of failing to secure stable markets and guaranteed prices, leaving producers to shoulder the entire production risk. It also warned that state support mechanisms, funds and programmes are opening room for corruption and money-laundering under the guise of assistance.

Levica's legislative proposals

As an alternative, Levica demands a law to set a minimum purchase price for all agricultural products, calculated on real production costs, the income required to keep a farm running and a reasonable profit for the harvested crop. The party says such a rule would ensure that a farmer knows before sowing that the state will not allow his produce to be purchased at a loss.

In parallel, Levica proposes the establishment of state-run buying centres — public infrastructure where farmers can deliver and store their produce instead of being forced to sell immediately after harvest to the first buyer. According to the party, state buying centres would create a counterweight to private buyers, provide a secure outlet, enable intervention purchases and help shape fair market prices, thereby protecting the producer rather than the middleman.

Levica said these steps are necessary to change the current balance of power in agricultural trade and to protect small producers in the Strumica region and beyond.

Photo: press material from the event