Maximos Charakopoulos calls for organic farming compensation reform

Maximos Charakopoulos, General Secretary of the New Democracy Parliamentary Group, is calling for a reform of the institutional framework regarding compensation for organic products. This follows a response from Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Giannis Andrianou, concerning the need for support for organic apple growers in the Municipality of Elassona.

Charakopoulos highlighted that current regulations treat organic and conventional crops identically, creating a loophole. Because organic farming prohibits chemical treatments, producers are more vulnerable to diseases like Fusicladium, which a report from University of Thessaly Professor G. Nanou indicates has caused production losses of up to 90%. Under current rules, compensation requires a 30% loss threshold at the prefecture level, a target that is difficult to meet when organic and conventional data are aggregated.

While the Deputy Minister noted that ELGA understands the issue, Charakopoulos argued that the core problem remains the lack of specific evaluation criteria for organic cultivation. He intends to submit a formal urgent question to the responsible minister once Parliament resumes after the summer break.