EAST CROATIAN FARMERS STOP PROTESTS, AWAIT REST OF MONEY FOR GRAIN

KNEZEVO, Oct 2 (Hina) - Members of the Association of the Slavonia and Baranja Farmers (ZUSSB) finished their public rallies at about 03.30 pm Monday which they started about ten days ago protesting against a delay in the payment for the wheat they sold to some companies. ZUSSB secretary Stanko Zdravcevic told Hina today that in the coming days farmers would no longer block roads, because the Osijek-based company "In-Cubo" which concluded a contract with Economy Ministry on the purchase of 200,000 tonnes of wheat, paid the greatest part to farmers in Baranja. The remaining unpaid part is some 10 million kuna, but the In-Cubo director, Mara Lucic, said all the money had been paid and farmers should just await it to come via banks. Ms. Lucic added that by this the firm had fulfilled all its contractual obligations on the purchase, and informed that it had forwarded a report on the course of the payment to the Government. She said she was shocked with the resumption of the farmers' protests in eastern Croatia, reiterating that the cause of all problems did not lie with her firm, but cooperative farms and grain silos should be blamed for being late in forwarding the necessary documentation on the purchase. Two weeks ago farmers commenced protests with blockades of a few regional roads in eastern Croatia. Today they blocked a local road in Baranja by 03.300 pm. (hina) ms