Zeybek submits parliamentary question to the Ministry of Rural Development and Food
İskeçe MP Hüseyin Zeybek has submitted a parliamentary question to Greece’s Ministry of Rural Development and Food, bringing attention to the serious mistakes and delays caused by OPEKEPE (Greek Payment and Control Agency for Guidance and Guarantee Community Aid) during the land consolidation process in the village of Zeynelli (İskeçe).
According to Zeybek, although the long-awaited land consolidation project was officially nearing completion, errors made by OPEKEPE have caused significant hardships for local farmers.
The MP emphasized that despite the completion of the consolidation process, OPEKEPE failed to take the updated land data into account when processing cultivation declarations and subsidy calculations. As a result, many farmers were deprived of their rightful subsidy payments, and in some cases, were even fined for “illegal occupation” of lands that had been legally assigned to them.
Zeybek recalled that the Xanthi Directorate of Agricultural Economy and Veterinary Services (DAOK) had allocated land use rights to farmers for the 2024–2025 production period as of April 2024, and had digitally submitted this information to OPEKEPE in July 2024. Nevertheless, the agency failed to integrate this data into its system, leading to serious administrative complications.
Zeybek noted that this situation effectively means that “farmers who have waited years for the completion of the land consolidation process are now being punished due to bureaucratic errors,” and warned that the issue has caused major economic distress in the region.
The MP addressed the following questions to the Ministry:
- Who is responsible for the errors made by OPEKEPE during the land consolidation process in Zeynelli village?
- When will these mistakes be corrected, and will farmers receive the subsidy payments they are entitled to?
- Will the unjust penalties imposed due to incorrect data updates be withdrawn?
- At what stage does the land consolidation process in Zeynelli currently stand, and what measures will be taken to prevent similar problems in the future?
Zeybek called on the Ministry of Rural Development and Food to urgently address the farmers’ grievances and ensure that such administrative mistakes are not repeated.
