International experts have warned that major difficulties in food supplies could emerge next year as a result of a shortage of artificial fertilizer. While strategic reserves exist for oil, no such provision has been made for fertilizer. Without fertilizer there is no productivity, and without productivity there can be no food. SDSM assesses that this risk is not a distant scenario, but a reality that Macedonia is already experiencing.
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According to the opposition, farmers continue to negotiate prices that barely compensate for their labor and expenses. The problem of collecting peppers, the statement said, was addressed only after the issue became public.
Mucunski later declared that everything was proceeding as expected.
SDSM alleges that the situation is repeating the same pattern: first chaos is created, then an agreement is reached at the last minute, and finally a press conference is held to declare that the issue has been resolved.
“The farmer who has secured his harvest does not live on statements. His income depends on the price, the collection deadline and payment,” SDSM said.
The party emphasizes that subsidies are either delayed or reduced, while costs for fuel, seeds, fertilizer and irrigation have increased. It also claims that milk is being purchased at prices that do not even cover basic expenses, that some land is not being planted and that food imports are rising.
SDSM describes as a paradox the fact that the state claims agriculture is growing, while at the same time becoming increasingly dependent on imported food. According to the party, this does not constitute development, but rather a weakening of food security.
“At a time when the world is discussing fertilizer reserves, our country is not even offering minimum protection for the next season. Who will buy fertilizer if the state delays payments? Who will plant when it is not known whether the harvest will be collected? Who will invest in irrigation when water is a problem in one city, while canals are the problem in other regions?” SDSM asks.
According to SDSM, the government presents rising market prices as a success for farmers. However, citizens are paying more for peppers, tomatoes and apples, while producers continue to struggle for 30 or 40 denars and to find out whether the collector will show up in the fields or not.
“This is not policy, but a transfer of the burden onto the producer and the consumer. Instead of being regional leaders in food production, farmers are barely surviving. Macedonia has the capacity to feed the region, but with VMRO-DPMNE’s policies, we will not even have enough food for our own tables,” SDSM said.
