After the brief holiday pause, farmers are returning today, Saturday—the third day of the new year—to the road blockades, while tomorrow, Sunday, they will meet at a nationwide assembly to be held in Malgara. All indications suggest they will attend determined to move toward further escalation of their mobilizations, considering more dynamic forms of pressure.

At the same time, agricultural unionist Kostas Anestidis stated that on Sunday a channel of communication with the government is expected to open, although the framework for dialogue has not yet been clarified.

At the blockades, proposals are already being recorded for a generalized intensification of mobilizations, with tomorrow’s nationwide meeting in Malgara considered pivotal, as final decisions on the course of the struggle will be made there. At the same time, some agricultural unionists are leaving open the possibility of dialogue with the government, under conditions.

As they emphasize, so far they have not seen substantive moves by the government that address their core demands, a fact which, as they say, is pushing them toward further escalation after the holidays.

From the government’s side, detailed data were released on payments to the farming community in 2025 by OPEKEPE, the Ministry of Finance, and ELGA. According to these figures, total payments increased from approximately €3.38 billion in 2024 to €3.82 billion in 2025.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Prime Minister described the refusal of dialogue by a segment of agricultural unionists as incomprehensible. As Kostis Hatzidakis stated, of the 27 demands put forward by the blockades, 16 have already been satisfied, while another four are under consideration. “The insistence of some on remaining at the blockades and rejecting dialogue with the Prime Minister and the government is incomprehensible. It is time for everyone to take responsibility,” he noted.

In a similar vein, the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Kostas Tsiaras, once again called for dialogue, stressing that only through substantive discussion and evaluation of all data can a real solution to the problems of the agricultural sector be achieved.

Today, Saturday, a general assembly has been scheduled at the Nikaia blockade in order to determine the stance with which farmers will participate in tomorrow’s nationwide meeting.

Commenting on ERTNews on Kostas Anestidis’s statements, representatives from the Nikaia blockade made it clear that there is no secret consultation or behind-the-scenes communication with the Maximos Mansion. They stress that their position has remained firm from the start: they are demanding clear answers from the Prime Minister and government officials, with specific timelines and clear financial figures, regarding the main demands raised by farmers and livestock breeders.

These demands include, among other things, the high cost of production, the issue of sheep and goat pox, and compensation for lost income. As they underline, they will enter into dialogue only if there are clear commitments.

Until then, they believe that escalation of mobilizations is the only means of pressure—a position expected to be discussed both at the general assembly in Nikaia and at tomorrow’s meeting in Malgara. The form of escalation—whether it will involve blocking service roads after Epiphany or mobilizations with tractors and a rally in Athens—is expected to be decided later today.