Full-time olive growers and other farmers in Greece who were impacted by last summer’s fires are entitled to financial compensation for damaged olive trees and other crops, the country’s ministries of Finance and Rural Development announced.
In August, dozens of wildfires broke out in the country, with blazes engulfing 120,000 hectares of forests and agricultural land.
See Also:Extreme Weather Cost Billions in Damage in 2021, Study FindsThe areas most heavily affected were the western Peloponnese, the north of Evia island in the Aegean and the northern outskirts of Athens. Approximately 375,000 olive trees were burned down in the Ilia region alone, with the flames also threatening the archeological site of Ancient Olympia.
The size of the compensation payments to eligible olive growers will be calculated according to the initial damage estimates and the ‘initial appraisal price,’ which has been set at €144 per olive tree by the state.
According to standard practice in similar situations, the growers will receive 70 percent of the total payout; half of the amount (€50.40 per olive tree) will be paid upfront, with the other half to be reimbursed after the final damage estimates are completed.
“The new [compensation] procedure is adapted to the specifics of these damages,” the two ministries said in a joint press release.
“In this context, and taking into account the extent and intensity of the summer fires and the damage caused to crop production facilities, and especially the agricultural holdings, the ministers have accepted the recommendation of the governmental committee of state aid and will provide payments in advance with a joint ministerial decree issued promptly,” the press release added.
Part-time olive growers will be compensated for damaged olive trees at a later stage, the ministries concluded.
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