Farmers weigh costs in wake of violent storms
Some 15,000 hectares of farmland in northern Greece was damaged due to bad weather over the weekend as locals and government officials yesterday pored over what has been left in its wake in an attempt to place a figure on the damage. Agriculture Minister Evangelos Bassiakos assured farmers yesterday that they will be compensated by the state within three months of their normal harvest time. «Funding has been secured for all outstanding damages cases,» the minister highlighted. Rainfall, hailstorms and strong winds were responsible for the havoc caused in 12 prefectures, damaging up to 100 percent of crops in some areas. Vineyards and tobacco, tomato, cotton and potato plantations were among those hit. Nikos Katsaros, president of the Hellenic Agricultural Insurance Organization (ELGA), which oversees the compensation of farmers, said that the rainfall in Xanthi in 10 hours was the same amount the area would normally see in a year. Xanthi and Kavala were among the regions heaviest hit.
