ATHENS – Greek farmers upset the government hasn’t fully compensated them for losses during deadly 2023 summer fires and floods and other issues said they will escalate their protests and could block highways with tractors.

They are also angry over rising inflations, foreign competition and the effects and costs of dealing with climate change that is affecting crops and annual yields, particularly over olive oil.

They demonstrated in Greece’s second-largest city Thessaloniki during an agricultural fair there where they dumped piles of chestnuts and apples on the pavement, tens of thousands of them on the streets, said The Voice of America.

https://www.voanews.com/a/greek-farmers-vow-to-escalate-protests-over-promised-government-compensation-/7470413.html

They said they weren’t satisfied with promises of more aid and tax breaks among other relief measures and that they wouldn’t meet with Prime Minister Kyriakos “These handouts are crumbs,” said Rizos Maroudas, one of the protest leaders. “The government may be playing tough, but farmers will prove tougher,” and agriculture associations plan to blockade main highways with tractors.

Their demands are similar to those being made by farmers in other European countries but the Greek farmers want faster subsidies for the crops and livestock lost in the summer disasters that hit the agricultural heartland of Thessaly.
Mitsotakis said the state would settle farmers’ overdue power and water bills, and that a tax rebate of diesel fuel would be extended for another year.  “This is all the funding the federal budget can provide at this time,” said government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis.

“If we could offer more we would. But we don’t want to make phony promises,” he added, although Greece’s economic recovery has been accelerating and touted by the New Democracy government.