Potato growers in Dasaki of Achna held a protest rally on Saturday morning, expressing their opposition to the transfer of potatoes from the occupied areas through uncontrolled points.
Specifically, members of the Coordinating Committee of the Pancyprian Organization of Potato Growing Communities in the Province of Famagusta and Larnaca, held a protest rally outside a potato packing plant, which recently allegedly illegally channeled 6 containers of potatoes to the three Green Line Regulation.
PDO President: "To pass legislation for product labeling"
The President of the Coordinating Organization of Potato Producers, Mr. Nikos Vassilas in his statements to SotiraNews He said that there are many important issues that justify the protest of the potato growers. As he mentioned, the importers of potatoes from the occupied territories are subsidized by the pseudo-state at 10 cents per kilo, which creates unfair competition, while, as he said, there are risks for public health since the health checks are incomplete and it is known that the potatoes occupied by sprays of many and harmful pesticides which in the free zones and in the EU are considered prohibited and harmful to public health.
Mr. Vassilas proposed before the deputies of Famagusta, who were present during the protest, the enactment of legislation that will make mandatory the marking of the product of the producer and the region of origin of the potato.
Kyriakos Hatzigiannis: "Proposal for a law to regulate the movement and packaging of agricultural products"
The Member of Parliament for the Democratic Alarm of Famagusta, Mr. Kyriakos Hatzigiannis, underlined the seriousness of the situation of illegal channeling and distribution of potatoes from the occupied territories, while at the same time acknowledging the existence of a problem. He noted that the situation has recently escalated, as there have been many cases of sabotage and destruction of property of producers who react as well as the fire in a particular packaging plant.
As he mentioned, there are two forms of handling potatoes from the occupied territories. The first is the one that moves through the controlled points (Regulation of the Green Line) and the second through the uncontrolled points. The quantities that move through the uncontrolled points are multiples compared to those that move through the controlled points of the roadblocks.
As he said, the illegally trafficked potatoes from the occupied areas are then "baptized" as Cypriot and are sold with fraudulent marking as potatoes of producers of the free areas, without the consent of the producers themselves, resulting in a great fear of consequences for the producers of the free areas. since the potatoes of the occupiers are produced with banned pesticides.
Mr. Hatzigiannis proposed the adoption of a law regulating the distribution of agricultural products throughout Cyprus, including the imposition of increased penalties, a proposal which found a response from MPs from other parties, who seem to support this proposal. Additionally, he informed that the Parliamentary group of DISY. will submit to the Agriculture Committee of the Parliament ex-officio research and control of the pesticide marketing system in the free areas by the importers of pesticides.
Statement by K. Hatigianis: "Regulation by which the recognition of the Turkish Cypriots came and the recognition of the Pseudo-State was avoided"
Kyriakos Hatzigiannis was very careful about the current legislation and its national importance. He said that the Green Line Regulation was agreed with the EU in 2004 under the government of Tassos Papadopoulos as a countermeasure to the recognition of the pseudo-state. As he said, the current legislation offers the right to trade the occupied territories through the Republic of Cyprus as an end to the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots and this possibility prevented the recognition of the pseudo-state.
He also pointed out that this regulation creates problems of unfair competition as well as risks to public health and, he noted, a solution should be found in a way that makes it possible to control the movement of products. Any attempt to change the regulation, he continued, is not a measure that can be taken unilaterally by the Republic of Cyprus and therefore any attempt to change this regulation should be considered and any side effects that may be caused to the detriment of our national issue. .
Kougialis: "Call to producers to find a solution"
In his statements, the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Mr. Nikos Kougialis, stated that the movement of potatoes from the occupied areas to the free zones is legal through the Green Line Regulation which entered into force on 1 May 2004. Despite All this, as the Minister of Agriculture pointed out, has been found to create unfair competition due to the subsidy of potatoes by the pseudo-state at 10 cents per kilo. He went on to say that the potato growers have been invited to a meeting on Monday, August 29 to discuss the issue and find a solution.
The rally took place in the presence of the British Base Police and ended peacefully at 12:30 noon.
SotiraNews / Photos: George Spanos