The minister invited the farmers, one rejected him “out of the blue”

The minister invited the farmers, one rejected him “out of the blue”

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Aleksandar Martinović, invited to a meeting on Sunday, December 29, representatives of the Association for the Rescue and Survival of Livestock Breeders of Western Serbia and Zlatko Kokanović and Milan Pajić from the “Our Milk” Association.

In the announcement of the ministry, it is written that the reason for the meeting is to discuss all current topics in the field of Serbian agriculture.

Members of the “Association for the Rescue and Survival of Livestock Breeders of Western Serbia” and the “Our Milk” Association will protest on Sunday, December 29, in Badovinci and Loznica due to unfulfilled demands.

They demand that Prime Minister Miloš Vučević, Martinović and the President of the Parliamentary Committee for Agriculture, Marijan Risticevic, be replaced.

The agreement on the protest was confirmed to the Beta agency by the representatives of those associations, Kokanović and Pajić.

Martinović invited Kokanović and Pajić to submit all proposals for topics for discussion, as well as specific requests to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and the Government of Serbia.

He did this, “so that through a constructive dialogue and with a peaceful approach, we could jointly reach optimal solutions for all issues of importance for agricultural producers in Serbia”, the announcement reads.

Martinović repeated that the ministry does not treat farmers as opponents and that in this way it sends a clear and unequivocal message that the doors of the ministry are open for them to talk.

In the announcement, it is also written that he said that there is a good will to meet all their requests, “in accordance with realistic possibilities.”

Kokanović: We have nothing to discuss

Farmer and activist Zlatko Kokanović, however, categorically refuses a meeting with Martinović, stressing that “there is nothing to discuss with the minister whose resignation is being requested”.

“That minister, together with the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Agriculture, Marijan Risticevic, is most responsible for the fact that farmers who clearly express their views and criticize the government were given an inactive status. They abused their functions,” said Kokanović.

Source: Agencies

Photo: Pixabay, screenshot