Greek PM Promises Swifter, Greater Support for Thessaly’s Farmers

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis provided a wide-ranging interview on Tuesday morning on an Athens-area radio program, where among others, he agreed that farmers and stockbreeders devastated by unprecedented flooding in the Thessaly province last September are right to complain over delayed state support and compensation.

In a bid to sooth growing criticism and even farmers’ mobilizations throughout the Thessaly plain, Greece’s “breadbasket”, Mitsotakis announced another tranche of financial aid for affected ag sector professionals, ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 euros.

At the same time, he said any mobilization should be held within “reasonable” boundaries, and should not affect society as a whole.

State interventions in Thessaly and adjacent regions will reach one billion euros, he promised.

Central Greece was hit by record-breaking torrential rains in early September, with widespread storm-damage and flooding resulting from the storm “Daniel”. Flood waters in many low-lying locations have still not completely abated, with a previously trained lake, Karla, re-emerging after decades.