Remisova: Takac Announcing Aid for Agricultural Sector Cynically and Too Late

Bratislava, 9 February (TASR) - Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) is announcing aid for young farmers and food producers too late and in a cynical manner, opposition MP and chairwoman of the 'For the People' party Veronika Remisova stated on Monday in response to Takac's briefing on the announcement of calls for farmers and food producers held earlier in the day. According to her, the minister's actions in the agricultural sector are late and chaotic and have come at a time when Slovakia is losing strategic food production and hundreds of people are losing their jobs. "Takas has announced today the calls for young farmers and food processors that he promised more than a year ago. He's doing so at a time when the Slovak food industry is falling apart and a sugar factory with a 125-year tradition is closing down. This isn't systemic help, it's desperate firefighting that has come too late," said the opposition MP. Remisova stated that Takac's calls are tardy in relation to young farmers as well. "Generational change in agriculture isn't achieved by a PR press conference after one investor after another has left due to the incompetence of [Robert] Fico's [Smer-SD] governments. It's achieved via stable rules, accessible land, a functioning PPA [Agricultural Payment Agency] and timely calls for action - not after two years of inaction in government," she emphasised. According to her, the way in which the minister has been communicating the social consequences of the closure of the sugar factory in Trencianska Tepla (Trencin region) is totally unacceptable. "The minister is telling people whose families have been producing sugar and food for generations that they can find work in the arms industry. Today you're producing sugar, tomorrow cannon shells. This is cynicism, not agricultural policy," stressed Remisova. At a briefing on Monday, Takac, with head of the Agricultural Payment Agency Marek Cepko in attendance, stated that tens of millions of euros should go into the Slovak agricultural sector through two new calls for proposals, one for young farmers and one for processors. The total amount for the two calls is €92 million, of which €35 million has been earmarked for food producers and €57 million for young farmers. am/df