Potato farmers and police clashed along two main roads leading in and out of the capital Nicosia Wednesday, with some of the tension resulting in verbal abuse and a group leader threatening to take up arms if their demands are not met by the government.
Police mobilised their own trucks to try and fend off the farmers who were blocking the Nicosia-Larnaca and the Nicosia-Troodos highways, eventually relieving one and then a second lane.
But the scuffles climaxed when the farmers’ chief organiser, Nicos Vasilas, threatened that “they should know we have guns in our homes”.
He later taunted the police provoking them to arrest him, to which the law enforcement agents obliged only to release him in the evening.
The disgruntled potato growers took to the roads in their trucks and tractors causing endless traffic jams on the highways following a deadlock in talks with the government over their claims for additional subsidies up to CYP 7 mln to compensate against a poor harvest.
Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides repeated Tuesday that in principle and due to financial constraints, the government was not in a position to give potato growers any financial support to offset falling trade.
He said the government was willing to discuss more proposals, adding that although it was the farmers’ right to protest, this should not be done at the expense of other members of the public.
Agriculture Minister Timis Efthimiou said it was impossible for the government to meet the potato growers’ demands.
The farmers also want CYP 20 mln to voluntarily exit the profession as they claim their future is bleak following EUaccession. Nicos Vassilas, chairman of the Executive Committee of Potato Growers said that their actions would “escalate by the day,” not ruling out extending the measures until December or even February.
Last December potato growers agreed to a CYP 2.3 mln cash injection from the government, but said at the time this would not solve their long-term problems.
While agricultural organisations have offered their support, they do not agree with the farmers’ threat to grind the economy to a halt.
Despite the threat, the government has not budged, repeating there was no more money to give out.
Upon his return to Cyprus from a visit to France, President Tassos Papadopoulos said it was the right of the farmers to protest, but he warned them from blocking roads as that would disrupt the daily lives of other citizens.
Papadopoulos also sent a warning that ahead of the May 2006 parliamentary elections it would be not wise for the government to agree to pay demands.
Agriculture Minister Efthymiou said that caving in to the demands would drill a hole in the public deficit, at a time when the government is trying put its finances in order with a view to joining the eurozone by 2008. He also added that for potato growers to exit from the profession, the state would need to compensate them to the tune of CYP 50 mln, money which was not available.
