Skopje, 2 October 2024 (MIA) -- Our predecessors left us a Ministry in ruins, in debt; late paychecks, unpaid subsidies, stalled projects, and serious suspicions of wrongdoing; they left us chaos and anarchy; but we are making no excuses, we have to make things right, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy Cvetan Tripunovski told the press Wednesday. "This is a farmers' government. We will prove we are their partner, and we will create agricultural policies together," he said.

Speaking at a press conference held to mark the government's first 100 days in power, Minister Tripunovski said a hundred days was too short a time for the government to show it was focused on solving farmers' problems.

"We are committed to a transformation and restoring the dignity of Macedonian farmers," the agriculture minister said.

"I am focused on their demands and improving the quality of their lives. We remain 100 percent committed to working responsibly and prudently in the interest of farmers," he said.

Listing governmental decisions in the first 100 days in power, Tripunovski recalled that the government had approved of paying over 600 million denars in late agricultural subsidies.

Subsidies would be paid regularly from now on, he added, and farmers, for the first time in seven years, would be asked to negotiate buyout prices directly with wholesale buyers. 

"The former minister's bad policies have made the country dependent on food imports," Tripunovski said.

"Farmers were discouraged by the buyout prices and the lack of care from the previous government. Produce was taken to landfills," he said. 

The agriculture minister also stressed that 350 million denars has been earmarked for paying four months of pay to employees of the state-owned companies Macedonian Forests and Water Economy. He also said forest police controls would continue.

"We are restoring the farmers' trust in the state institutions. Institutions should work in line with their legal competencies, so farmers can have a place to turn to for help in solving their problems," he said.

Tripunovski added that farmers would also be asked to take part in the government's creation of agricultural policies.

He said the government would be dedicated to bring back "Macedonia to what it used to be, an agricultural country of quality and quantity agricultural production." mr/