Rural Economy and the Union of Agrinio

The 'physiocrats' of the 18th century, the economists of the time, considered agriculture as a whole to be the primary form of productive activity. They also believed that the agricultural sector is the only real source of wealth creation.

These views that have certainly changed over the years, cannot withstand any serious approach to economic theory in the modern era. Actually, wealth is nowadays produced in stock markets...relying on bonds, at the so-called economic giants that, however, easily collapse from one moment to another, dragging down the national economies and threatening an international crash. Let us not forget that we are still experiencing the turmoil of a crisis that started from a bank in a distant place in the world.

Globalisation!

Physiocrats were of course right when they placed the agricultural sector at the heart of the productive activity. Changing the order of the words, it could easily be said, however, that they were right on their second argument, as indeed - and it has already begun to become a common ground - the real wealth is neither in the "bubbles" neither ... on the papers. It's in the production! Without production no theory and no economic system can be sustained. If there is no primary sector, the production, the products, the secondary sector is just pointless. The tertiary sector, of course, would not stand for even a day.

The power of the economy, therefore, the real potential of any healthy economy lies in the agricultural sector. And this is exactly why the Union of Agrinio invests in production and that is why all its efforts point to ensuring the right...to continue to have this primary and fundamental pillar, supporting the local and hence the national economy.

The fact that the Union of Agrinio bears the organizational competence and ability to bring out projects the state itself fails to do so, the fact that it carries the willingness to decisively contribute to the development of a framework that would protect the farmer forever, together constitute the elements that have made the Union a key pillar of development in the region.

The tree crops, having the lead in growing Stevia in Europe, the interventionist policy in price formation, always for the benefit of the producers, the availability of the relevant equipment, the information office, the industrial facilities and infrastructure, the catalytic end-stage intervention in livestock breeding that the operation of AMFIGAL establishes etc., are only some of our policy’s manifestations. The common ground of all these interventions is the application of economic theory in the production.

Applied agro-economy. What does it actually mean?

1. Ensuring a sufficient share of agricultural potential in the total workforce in the region, as a basic requirement for the "sustainability" of any other sector of the economy that is, of course, powered by the rural economy.
2. Ensuring a proportionate share of the product in the total production, an issue of maximum importance in Aetoloakarnania.
3. Aggressive agricultural exports policy, based on the very encouraging, indeed, current data and on the promising future prospects regarding production in our region
4. Maintaining and gradually regaining the percentage of farming land in the total of the area, in cooperation with scientific institutions and universities of the country and abroad, by acquiring an active and leading role in international associations, by self-funding pilot projects, by a direct intervention in the production process, by suggesting new crops’ cultivation and by ensuring good availability of products.

All these are the components which determine largely, if not entirely, the importance of the agricultural sector in our economy as a whole. For the “ordinary” farmer, as we often misuse the phrase, however, these are not perhaps so important.

What is important is whether or not the farmers are paid for the subsidy. And since the Union was paid for the subsidies corresponding to the ones characterized as “mainly farmers”, since the moment that the Union was able to secure the best possible potential under the new CAP..., everything is fine. But this would not have happened if all the previous measures and interventions were not applied.

Consequently, in a prefecture where we have learned to easily complain and to condemn the battles we have lost, the fact of major importance is this:

That the Union of Agrinio has long exceeded Aetoloakarnanean misfortune and is already featured as an equal participant that has been turned into a shaper of developments. It is a big mistake to underestimate this advantage of ours and even bigger to undermine it.

In the contrary, an advantage like should be exploited, especially when we are going through a period of transition, when the new global agricultural policy seeks a groundbreaking force on the things that had been characterizing the national agricultural policy.