Agricultural Minister on Protesting Farmers’ Demands: Imports Cannot Be Banned

Dragan Glamocic (BETAPHOTO/MILAN ILIC)

Serbian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Dragan Glamocic said on Feb. 18 that neither can the importation of agricultural products be prohibited nor can he influence the prices of milk.

Speaking for the RTS public broadcaster, Glamocic explained he had not had high hopes for the previous day’s negotiations with the country’s protesting farmers, adding that the talks were attended by associations unwilling to reach a deal.

“I think the crucial first step is that they came to the institutions, because I think that is always where negotiations should take place, not in the streets, for the streets to be blocked,” Glamocic stated.

With regards to the farmers’ demands, Glamocic made it clear that banning all agricultural imports is impossible.

“If we prohibit Europe from exporting any [agricultural product], what do you think will happen? Will they sit idly by and let it go? What people need to know [is that] Serbia is the region’s largest exporter of agricultural products. We export far more than we import. What does that mean? If we ban [imports], they’ll ban the exportation of our apples, raspberries, milk. We actually export more milk, last year we exported 28 percent more milk than we imported,” the minister said.

Glamocic stressed that the whole country would be threatened if the farmers’ demand for banning all agricultural imports were accepted, while the second request for the market to be regulated is “partially acceptable.”

Asked about the demand for all those who endangered the livelihood of farmers to be brought to justice, Glamocic reiterated his call for the Prosecutor’s Office and other relevant bodies to start with him and his associates. “If any one of us are found to have not done their job properly, to have not behaved responsibly, anything, I’m ready to answer for it,” the minister concluded.

The representatives of five dairy farmer and vegetable farmer associations walked out on negotiations with Glamocic on Feb. 17. As no agreement was reached regarding the farmers’ demands for a ban on the importation of cheese, milk, fruit and vegetables, the farmers announced they will resume their blockade of the Ibarska Highway in Mrcajevci and Slatina, near Cacak.