MP Özgür Ferhat submits report on farmers' problems to ELGA
New Left Party of Rodopi MP Özgür Ferhat submitted in writing to ELGA President Andreas Likurencos his proposal for new regulations to be made in ELGA
Western Thrace 3 July 2024 42 Paylaş Rhodope New Left Party MP Özgür Ferhat submitted in writing to ELGA President Andreas Likurencos his proposals regarding the new regulations to be made in the State Agricultural Compensation Agency (ELGA). Reminding that he visited ELGA President Likurencos in his office in April and expressed his views on the issue there, MP Ferhat stated that afterwards he was engaged in political field work for two months.
Ferhat announced that he sent his report containing his written proposals to the ELGA Presidency on 26 June 2024 as a result of the joint work he carried out with the Agricultural Cooperatives of the Prefecture of Rodopi, the Tobacconists Cooperative, the administrations of active farmer associations and producer unions.
In his report submitted to the ELGA Presidency, MP Özgür Ferhat made the following demands:
- Transferring institutional transactions to digital platforms for the payment of agricultural compensations to farmers by ELGA in a shorter time and minimising the waiting period from the current 10-12 months.
- The biggest factor undermining production in recent years is the climate change-crisis with global dimensions. Adverse weather conditions, which appear with increasing frequency in our region every year, cause great damage to production or cause a large loss of product (tonnage & quality) in production. The most striking example is the scorching temperatures and drying north winds in the Rhodope province during one month in the summer of 2023, which caused a 40% loss in cotton production, followed by a 30% loss in maize production. However, due to the outdated legislation, farmers in these cases suffered huge economic losses as they were not entitled to compensation. Taking this into consideration, the ELGA institution should reshape and approve the limits of the temperature and wind measurement scale, which determines the compensation, according to today's conditions.
TOBACCO PRODUCTION
- Tobacco producers, especially those who are dealing with chronic problems, should benefit from the new regulation. The tomato spotted wilt virus (Hill disease-TSWV), which has caused 2/3 loss of production in recent years but has not been compensated by your organisation, should definitely be included in the new regulation and should be shown as a reason for compensation.
- On the other hand, if tobacco scalings (seedlings) and scaffolds are damaged, they have not been compensated by the Agricultural Compensation Institution so far. However, when these two elements, which constitute the beginning and end of production, are damaged, great losses occur in production. In this respect, your organisation should include the scalings (seedlings) and scaffolds in the list of those deserving compensation.
- Due to the unfavourable weather conditions and continuous drought in our region during the summer months, tobacco production suffers great losses. Therefore, in order to include tobacco farmers in the compensation, the rates of air temperatures should be updated and they should be included in the new regulation.
- The period covering the damages that may occur in tobacco production should be extended from 15 May until the end of October.
- Tobacco farmers in our region are not included in the European Union or National Agricultural Programmes because they have small land and cultivate few acres. Therefore, a protection plan with clear support and compensation to be organised by the ELGA institution for these producers will ensure the sustainability of production. CHERRY - As you know, there are 160.000 adult cherry trees in our region, we are a region with high quality and dynamic production.
- However, adverse weather conditions (heavy hail, excessive rainfall, unseasonably low temperatures and frost) have damaged the cherry production in recent years and left it in a difficult situation.
- In the regulations you intend to make in the ELGA law, the measures you can take against hail (protection nets for cherry groves, hail repellent with cannon system, etc.)
- In particular, determining 100% of all damages incurred and paying them to producers as compensation in a short time is the biggest update and innovation you can make. Because the cherry season is completed in a short period of 40 days and in case of damage, the producers cannot cover it economically in any way.
