Both producers and traders have voiced their opposition to the government's proposed plans which aim to allocate stalls by annual lottery, giving municipalities the right to decide on limiting the number of traders, the separation between producers and traders stalls, and fines (ranging from 1,000-3,000 Euros) and sanctions for transgressions, which they add also involve jail terms of three months to a year.
All those opposed to these new measures would hold a rally on Monday morning in central Athens, while a similar protest event would be held in Thessaloniki. The move suspends the operation of open-air markets until the issue is resolved.
Operators argue that the measures, contained in the relevant development ministry bill threatens a whopping 50,000 families and only serve interests.
It should be reminded that farmer markets appear in various districts in Athens and other Greek cities on different days of the week and are quote popular since he goods offered are generally better priced and fresher than in supermarkets. Even so, only a fifth of all the stalls at these markets are owned by producers, with the rest run by traders who buy their wares wholesale before selling them on. This last bit of information should be kept in mind over the next period because traders will use their power to convince us that the government is hitting on the little guy again, whereas in all reality it is the little guy that is being protected by the new measures and not the powerful trader!
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