Manos Konsolas, MP for the Dodecanese, stressed in Parliament the urgent need for a new strategy for Greece’s primary sector, one that goes beyond subsidies and handouts. He called for deep and meaningful reforms to promote extroversion, competitiveness, and the production of high value-added products — in order to attract young people into agriculture.
He proposed the following key measures:
- Redesign of agricultural higher education, with a modern agricultural university offering advisory support and studies, inspired by the Netherlands’ model.
- New tax incentives for cooperatives and producer groups working on large-scale cultivation, including incentives for cooperation with tourism.
- Irrigation and land improvement projects prioritized in regions with large-scale cooperative farming.
- Income support for farmers nearing retirement, to avoid leaving them without financial security.
- Special tax breaks for intergenerational land transfers to reduce the average age in farming.
He placed special emphasis on island regions, proposing:
- Access to liquidity and loans through the Hellenic Development Bank, the Guarantee Fund, and the Microfinance Fund for agricultural expansion, processing, agrifood, and agrotourism.
- Support for coastal fisheries, the development of fishing tourism, and strengthening the role of ELKETHE (the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research) as an advisory body for the fishing sector.
