I
t is well known that no debt can be repaid if
there is no production and, as our forefathers
said, “you can’t repay debts with debts.”
Therefore, the economy’s recovery is a “neces-
sary good” for Greece and the reconstruction of
the primary sector is one of its main pillars.
We aim at restructuring crop farming, livestock
farming and fish farming facilities, in order to turn
them into drivers for improving the quality of
exports. To do this, however, we must first
restructure producer mentality.
We aim at connecting the secondary with the pri-
mary sector, so as to improve the standardisation
of Protected Designation of Origin products. The
same stands for Protected Geographical Indication
or Traditional Speciality Guaranteed products.
We aim at ensuring that from 2015 to 2020 no
new fines will be imposed on the country due to
the implementation of the new agricultural policy
and any changes it may imply, while there will be
no recoveries of illegal staid aid to farmers.
Moreover, the rational absorption of funds from
the rural development programme (RDP) will pro-
vide a new boost to agricultural enterprises.
Finally, biodiversity, which we will protect because
it is our heritage, along with a green growth that
respects the environment, open new vistas for
rural tourism. The aim of our effort is to equip
tourism, our country’s flagship, with an additional
competitive advantage: the “Greek Mediter-
ranean diet”. This feedback loop will help mobilize
the economy, create new jobs and increase the
GDP.
All foreign investors wishing to invest in this pro-
ductive effort will have the unreserved assistance
of the Ministry of Rural Development, with all the
tools it possesses. Nevertheless, our main con-
cern is to ensure that:
Greeks live off their land and its beauty
.
Trade with Greece
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Greece is, as a result of structural weaknesses,
in the unfortunate position of being faced
with a huge public debt and an economic
recession that does not help it service its
obligations.
The productive
reconstruction of
Greece
By Panagiotis Sgouridis,
Deputy Minister of Rural Development
