With a wealth of artistic and folkloric events, large crowds, but also many complaints from local producers, the 45th Cherry Festival in Metaxochori, Agia, came to a close on Sunday afternoon.

Both the notable presences and absences at the opening ceremony on Saturday evening were noticeable, with farmers’ tractors symbolically making their presence felt, while the absence of government lawmakers was widely commented upon.

Despite the festive nature of the events at the opening ceremony of the Cherry Festival, both the farmers and the speakers in their addresses the farming community’s dissatisfaction with the fact that, to this day, cherry producers have not received compensation for the 2025 frost, despite assurances to the contrary from both ELGA and the government.

Vasilis Kokkalis, the MP for Larissa, delivered harsh criticism of the government. Speaking at the opening ceremony, the former minister criticized the absence of government MPs from the event, commented on the delay in the payment of frost compensation, and called on farmers to give their own response at the polls.

The president of the Agricultural Cooperative, Ap. Georgovitsas, as well as the president of the local community of Metaxochori, Giannis Patsiavouras, and the head of the Agricultural Development sector of the Greek Solution, Al. Papachatzis.

Particularly scathing, however, was Rizos Maroudas, president of the United Federation of Agricultural Associations of Larissa, who noted that while ELGA had conducted damage assessments and prepared reports, compensation never reached the farmers, and the government is seeking payments through the Ad Hoc program.

For his part, the Regional Governor of Thessaly, D. Kouretas referred to the Region’s efforts to standardize local products and the applications that have already been submitted to recognize the region’s PDO and PGI products, which will provide added value to farmers and enhance the sustainability of their farms.

Finally, the Mayor of Agia, Antonis Gountaras, in declaring the events open, called on the government to decide whether it wants the primary sector in Greece and, if so, to support it with specific policies that ensure the sustainability of agricultural production. “We,” he said emphatically, “are fighting a daily battle to keep our villages alive, so that people can live and build a future in their hometowns.”