VARAZDIN, June 26 (Hina) - About a thousand tractors, lorries and different kinds of the farm machinery are blocking the road by Vratno near Varazdin (50 kilometres north of Zagreb), which leads toward two border crossings with
Slovenia, as part of Saturday's protest of Croatian farmers. Demonstrations of peasants organised by the Croatian Farmers' Association, are taking place also at other three sites in Varazdin County. Those farmers will join the main protest rally at Vratno, an organiser of the protest, Zvonimir Sabati, said this afternoon. At Vratno, the leader of the Farmers' Association, Ivan Kolar, addressed the protesters and journalists for whom a press conference was also held. Kolar stressed they were struggling for the welfare of villages and farmers, and today's action has united them and showed they are on the right track . Kolar reiterated chief demands of peasants such as the ban on
VARAZDIN, June 26 (Hina) - About a thousand tractors, lorries and
different kinds of the farm machinery are blocking the road by
Vratno near Varazdin (50 kilometres north of Zagreb), which leads
toward two border crossings with Slovenia, as part of Saturday's
protest of Croatian farmers.
Demonstrations of peasants organised by the Croatian Farmers'
Association, are taking place also at other three sites in Varazdin
County. Those farmers will join the main protest rally at Vratno, an
organiser of the protest, Zvonimir Sabati, said this afternoon.
At Vratno, the leader of the Farmers' Association, Ivan Kolar,
addressed the protesters and journalists for whom a press
conference was also held.
Kolar stressed they were struggling for the welfare of villages and
farmers, and today's action has united them and showed they are on
the right track .
Kolar reiterated chief demands of peasants such as the ban on the
import of agricultural products amounts of which are already
sufficient on the Croatian market, the payment of the stimulation
and subsidies and an increase of the purchase price for this year's
wheat to 1.32 kuna per kilogram.
On behalf of the crisis committee of those who grow sugar beet,
Stjepan Golubic, informed protesters that sugar refineries owed 68
million kuna (9.3 million dollars) to farmers for last year's
crops. Until this problem is solved, protesters will remain on
roads.
Golubic reiterated the request of farmers to be received by Premier
Zlatko Matesa for talks, as they did not stage the rally because
they wanted but because they were forced as they can no longer make
ends meet.
(hina) ms