Strumica, 7 August 2026 (MIA) -- Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy Borche Serafimovski held separate meetings Friday in Strumica with registered commercial buyers and local pepper growers to address the ongoing pepper harvest.

During his talks with the buyers, several key issues were addressed, including the current pepper procurement dynamics, pricing based on product grade and intended use, processing capacities and export opportunities.

Serafimovski stressed the importance of ensuring timely payments to pepper growers. He also reminded meeting participants of their legal obligation to disclose in advance all procurement terms, publicly post all prices and grade the peppers precisely and consistently.

"Prices are set by market conditions, but the purchasing process has to be in line with the law, transparent and predictable," the agriculture minister said.

"The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy's role is to hear both sides' arguments and ensure rules are followed, contributing to a pepper purchase that will value the farmers' labor fairly and enable unninterrupted market distribution," he said.

At his meeting with Strumica pepper growers, the minister listened to their demands and opinions regarding initial prices, production costs and the consequences of severe weather events on this year's pepper harvest.

Serafimovski said each farmer's thoughts needed to be considered seriously and responsibly.

"Behind each kilogram of peppers sold stand the farming family's investments, labor and income," he said.

"This is why these talks on their purchase cannot be reduced to mere numbers but have to include the responsibilities of each participant in the supply chain.

"Any farmer facing a real problem is a legitimate interlocutor," Serafimovski said. 

According to Serafimovski, the State Agriculture Inspectorate is making daily checks of agricultural purchasing points for any irregularities in the purchasing process, price transparency, product grading, measuring instrument accuracy and documentation compliance. Any rule violations will be sanctioned, he said.

The agriculture minister is scheduled to meet with food processing industry representatives next week. They will discuss their pepper purchasing plans and processing capacities as well as the possibilities of placing on the market this year's pepper harvest. mr/