PM MEETS FARMERS' REPRESENTATIVES

ZAGREB, Aug 22 (Hina) - The leaders of farmers' associations have been promised at Wednesday's meeting with Prime Minister Ivica Racan everything will be done to pay for wheat that has not been paid for yet in the shortest time possible, the president of the Croatian Farmers' Association, Ivan Kolar, told reporters. Racan and Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bozidar Pankretic today received representatives of the Croatian Farmers' Association and an association of peasant farms from Djakovo. Representatives of the Union of Farmers' Associations from Slavonija and Baranja were absent. Said union objected to presence of the two associations at the talks, claiming they were "Minister Pankretic's people." They accuse the minister of being unable to solve problems in the agriculture. According to a statement from the government's public relations office, Pankretic said about 90 percent of purchased wheat had been paid and the rest would be soon. Of 320,000 tonnes of this year's crop purchased from peasant farms, 274,000 have been paid for in the amount of 275 million kuna (approx. $33.1 million). The rest will cost 46 million (approx. $5.54 million). Said payment pace is record-breaking in the past three years, when wheat was paid for by the end of the year, as in 1998, or extended to the year after, as in 1999, read the government statement. This year's harvest backfired by 20 percent due to unfavourable weather, but the entire amount of wheat will be purchased, regardless of quality. Representatives of farmers' associations are content with the payment pace. Wheat should not be an issue or the cause of any protest, the statement said, adding there were other important issues that had to be addressed. (hina) ha sb