Farmers Cease Blockade Despite Lack of Deal with Ministry

Protest of farmers (BetaPhoto/Dragan Gojic)

The roadblocks on the Ibarska Highway in the village of Milocaj were removed around midnight on March 5, marking the end of the nationwide traffic blockade which Serbia’s farmers have been leading since Feb. 11, out of outrage with the “catastrophic” state of the country's agriculture.

The Association of Dairy Farmers of Sumadija and the Morava Valley told BETA that the blockade has been stopped despite no deal being reached with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management because the farmers have to tend to their land, since it is currently sowing season.

Association member Predrag Veljkovic added that a joint meeting of all the farmers’ associations which participated in the protests will soon take place to determine their next steps.

The farmers’ protest began on Feb. 11 with a blockade of the Ibarska Highway in Mrcajevci, near Cacak, and ended on March 4 with the removal of the last roadblocks, in Milocaj, near Kraljevo. The protesting farmers have demanded an immediate import ban on agricultural products creating a surplus on the domestic market until domestic reserves are depleted, along with the introduction of tariffs and quotas for the import of milk and meat, and an mandated increase in the purchase price of domestic milk.