On January 18, 2026, the Corfu branch of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) released a statement affirming its unwavering support for the protesting farmers and livestock breeders across the country. As farmers prepare for a crucial meeting with the Prime Minister, the KKE emphasizes that what is needed are not more promises, but concrete commitments and immediate measures to ensure their survival and ability to continue working their land.
The Roots of the Crisis: EU Policies and Market Monopolies
The KKE argues that the acute problems faced by small and medium-sized farmers and livestock breeders, including olive growers and small cultivators in Corfu, are not merely the result of “bad conjunctures.” Instead, they are direct consequences of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which, according to the KKE, has been consistently served by all successive governments. Furthermore, trade agreements such as the EU-Mercosur deal are seen as opening the floodgates to cheap imports, pushing thousands of producers out of business.
At the same time, the KKE points out that agribusiness monopolies and large traders are profiting immensely. They acquire produce at exploitative prices from farmers and then sell it at exorbitant rates to consumers. This dynamic creates a stark contrast: farmers struggle to make ends meet in their fields, while workers face the burden of high prices and stagnant wages in supermarkets.
A Common Adversary: Policies Favoring Big Business
The KKE asserts that both farmers and workers share a common adversary: policies that sacrifice the needs of the populace for the profits of business groups. The party highlights that while billions are allocated to business groups, shipowners, and bankers, as well as to military equipment and war preparations for imperialist designs, there are consistently “no fiscal margins” for the needs of the people.
This critical analysis suggests a systemic issue where the current political and economic framework prioritizes corporate interests over the well-being of the agricultural sector and the broader working class. The KKE’s statement underscores a belief that the government cannot hide behind communication tactics to obscure the fact that no substantial solution can be offered as long as the EU’s strategy and the policy of supporting big capital remain unchanged.
Farmers’ Struggle and Calls for Solidarity
The KKE firmly believes that farmers have every right to defend their work and their lives and to continue their struggle. They must do so, the party insists, despite pressures, slanders, and attempts to cultivate social automatism that might turn public opinion against them.
The Corfu KKE Committee calls upon workers, trade unions, and the popular strata of the island to stand in solidarity with the farmers. The party posits that the common struggle of workers and farmers is the only way to create obstacles to anti-popular policies and to open up prospects for the benefit of the people.
The current situation in Corfu, with its significant olive oil production and small-scale farming, serves as a microcosm of the broader national and European agricultural challenges. The KKE’s commentary suggests that without a fundamental shift in policy, the struggles of the agricultural sector will only intensify, impacting not just producers but also the wider economy and society.
The party’s stance is a call to action, urging a united front between different segments of the working population to challenge what it perceives as an unjust economic system.
Source: https://www.startmediacorfu.gr/290021-2/
