He says that “instead of a systemic solution, the Government resorted to ad hoc actions that solve problems in the short term without looking at the fact how the problem actually arose”.
“Therefore, I hereby ask the Government several specific questions. Why was the Agricultural Budget adopted only at the beginning of April, and as a result, all public calls for agricultural producers were delayed? Why are farmers left to fend for themselves at the time of the biggest oil crisis? Why is the Government not paying them a million euros for excise taxes from 2025? Why did the Prime Minister ignore their demands at the end of 2025 when they demanded that the budget for agriculture be 5% of the total budget? Who is responsible for they still don’t pay IPARD funds? Who is responsible for the late payment of old age benefits?” asked Despotović.
All of these, she points out, are questions that the Government of Montenegro owes an answer to because, as she said, they are systemically responsible for the new problems faced by Montenegrin farmers.
“It is also interesting that producers are being saved by retail chains, the same ones whose boycott the Government advocated just a few months ago. All of the above clearly indicates that the responsibility rests with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, whose inaction, ignorance and nonchalant attitude led to this crisis. Finally, problems in milk production require long-term and systemic solutions, not ad hoc actions and firefighting,” Despotović concluded.
