SDSM accuses authorities of institutional pressure, demands emergency buyout for grape growers

SDSM accused the authorities on Friday of using state institutions to intimidate critics while warning that vine-growers are being left without buyers for their grapes. The party urged the government to order an immediate state intervention buyout, reverse an 8 percent cut to the purchase price, pay an additional subsidy per kilogram and publish a transparent methodology that ties price to yield and sugar units.

Party spokesperson recounts police summons in Kavadarci

At a press briefing, Vuko Melov — a municipal councillor from Kavadarci — said he was called for an informational interview at a police station over a social media post that he claims was not published from his personal account. SDSM presented the summons as an attempt to silence those who publicly criticise the authorities.

Melov accused both local and central authorities of instrumentalising institutions for pressure. He said: "Do local and central authorities use institutions to pressure those who publicly criticise their catastrophic policies? The same methods we see in neighbouring Serbia from Vučić, and which recall the era of Nikola Gruevski. No one is afraid of you and you will not silence us – SDSM will fight with all democratic means against this increasingly open dictatorship, and there will be accountability for the abuse of institutions."

Beyond the political accusations, SDSM warned that vineyards are being damaged because wineries are not buying the Vranec variety close to the volumes produced. The party said grapes are rotting in fields while producers lack a market for their harvest.

To address the emergency, SDSM proposed immediate measures in Parliament. The party said it will seek legal steps to raise the purchase price to 28 denars per kilogram for Vranec and 25 denars per kilogram for Smederevka, to launch an intervention buyout — prioritising Vranec — and to remove the 8 percent reduction in the purchase price when payment is made within eight days. They also asked for an extra subsidy for each kilogram bought and for a clear pricing methodology based on yield and sugar units.

SDSM also reminded the public of repeated local pledges to build a distillery — a promise the party says appeared in three local election programmes but has not been fulfilled. The opposition insisted it stands with vine-growers and demanded a fair price and concrete solution.

Photo: press material from the event