Ministry to ask competition authority to probe procurement of peppers and other crops

Farmers from the Strumica region say many families have been left to fend for themselves without institutional intervention and without receiving their subsidies, and that prices for this year’s crop do not cover basic costs. They complain that a kilogram of peppers is worth about as much as a single chilled snack sold in shops.

Ministry to ask competition authority to examine procurement

Representatives of a local growers’ association in Murtino said: "As gardeners, for more than a month now we have been facing catastrophically low prices, manipulated and forced to work at a total loss, and from the institutions we have seen nothing but theatre, deliberate delays and fake PR." They say repeated requests for the Agriculture Minister to account for any intervention around the price and procurement of red peppers were ignored.

Protests that lasted several days in Strumica over the procurement price for peppers intended for ajvar production prompted a public response from Agriculture Minister Borche Serafimovski, who said the main problem lies in the classification of peppers.

The ministry’s analyses of procurement for peppers, paddy rice, grapes of the Vranec variety and other agricultural products showed a need for a broader institutional response. This week the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy will submit an initiative to the Commission for Protection of Competition concerning the procurement practices, the minister announced, saying that in addition to routine checks by the State Inspectorate for Agriculture, the ministry will activate other legal mechanisms at its disposal.

Minister Serafimovski said the move aims to ensure independent and professional verification of the facts and to mobilize available institutional capacities as needed. Growers say they will continue to press for concrete, timely measures and for payments of outstanding subsidies.

Photo: press material from the event