Tractors loaded with grapes that poured in front of the doors of the winery "Tikves" and dissatisfied growers shouting "wow" was Saturday's picture of the city of wine - Kavadarci.

Before today's meeting with the Mayor of Kavadarci Mitko Jancev, the president of the regional association "Tikvesh Grape Growers" Dane Joshev said that the problem arose after the winery "Tikves" suddenly decided not to accept grapes to growers with less than 21 sugar units.

- What should growers do with those grapes? They have nowhere to take it home and store it. That's why they poured it. Last week, the Minister of Agriculture, Arianit Hoxha, said that it was agreed to buy Smederevo for 11 denars, and Vranec for 13 denars. Smederevo has 16 to 17 sugar units, and Vranec now has 18 to 19. But in the field, grapes are bought everywhere at prices from 10 to 11 denars. We were promised by the Agricultural Inspectorate that wherever we have a problem, they will come in 30 minutes. Yesterday we were playing all day, no one answers us - said Joshev.

He explained that yesterday they were at a meeting in "Tikves" which was digitally attended by the director Svetozar Janevski and that he first told them that they can not buy grapes under 21 sugar units, because they do not need such, and then "gave in" and said that they can buy it, but only at a price of 8 denars to make distillate from it.

Gjoko Krstev from the Association of Growers "Negotino" said that for 1 hectare of Smederevka and Vranec need 168.000 denars in cash to be given as a cost to harvest and stressed that the protest in front of "Tikves" has not a single gram of politics, but because of the trouble of growers .

- We demand prices of 11, ie 13 denars per kilogram and the sugar units to be 16 denars for Smederevka and 18 denars for Vranec - said Krstev.

The mayor of Kavadarci, Mito Jancev, said that he was surprised by the events in front of "Tikves" and that higher sugar units were suddenly requested.

- Sugar units change from day to day. This should be specified in the rulebooks by the Ministry of Agriculture. We have been seeing the plight of the growers for 25 years, we promise the same thing almost every year, so it is best not to promise anything when it is not fulfilled - said Jancev.

The Tikvesh Winery said in a statement that "the interruption of the grape purchase was caused by several individuals who in an extremely incorrect and violent way blocked the entrance of the winery and thus prevented over 200 real growers who were scheduled to hand over today. his grapes in "Tikves".

To make the situation even more absurd, the individuals who violently and in the most vulgar way blocked the entrance to the winery and caused material damage, in fact tried to manipulate the quality of the grapes they intended to hand over to "Tikves". Namely, the grapes they wanted to hand over for purchase were of much lower quality and did not correspond at all to the samples they previously presented, so that during the expert evaluation of the quality this grape did not have appropriate characteristics to produce neither wine nor distillate. it could not achieve the price they expected. "The Tikves winery remains adamant in its determination that it will not compromise on the quality of the grapes it buys, because it depends on the quality of the wines it produces, which must always be top quality." announced from "Tikves".

Hence, they say that "Tikves" guarantees that for its part it will continue to consistently respect all contractual obligations to growers, but at the same time expects the same from its partners.