Samaras: Pension at 62 and loan settling for farmers

During his speech in the Greek parliament, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras presented the priorities of the government for solving the problems of the agricultural sector.

"The agrarian issue is central to the existence of the Greek society. We must unleash the potential of Greece. The agrarian question has been the most crucial for the formation of societies. In recent decades the wrong idea prevailed that to become a modern country we had to reduce the primary sector and develop the modern economy sectors. We dramatically decreased the rural economy, losing a field with dozens of sectors where Greece has comparative advantages. We exhausted a number of other sectors as well, like tourism."

"We will eliminate the deficit and harness the debt, but we will not get out of the crisis if we do not change our manufacturing model. We need to keep the rural world upright, and not temporarily reassure and convince them to simply leave the streets," Samaras said.

Referring to investments, he said Phillip Morris «buys more than half the production of tobacco tomorrow and has commited to doing the same for the next three years," and pledged to reduce VAT on farm supplies within four years.

He further said that farmers will keep records of income - expenses from next year and also promised that there will be a setting for farmers, providing that anyone who has 40 years of insurance contributions may retire at 62, as well as a regulation of the big rural loans.

Attack with insinuations against SYRIZA

"Everyone sees that we are striving to bring investment and certain anonymous individuals are burning business at night. This cannot pass and make it look as if this is the way things get done in Greece," Samaras said about the events in Skouriea, Halkidiki.

"Two days after that Hollande came to Greece and there was a separate strike by the media due to his visit so the people would not to see the practical support of France towards Greece," he added.

"What is the point of fighting for investments, when people are struggling to systematically drive them away and engage in terrorism and destruction? What is the point of struggling for allies abroad? I am not pointing a finger, but if this is not national undermining and sabotage, then what is?"

And he concluded "who will take seriously a country that harms its own self? I do not ask that you agree with everything but I urge you to protect the interest of the people."