The Grape Harvest Is In, But Over €100 Million in Old Subsidy Debt Still Waits
Minister Serafimovski said the grape harvest purchase is nearly complete and funds for wineries, rice processors and apple producers are being secured — but this comes against the backdrop of an acknowledged over €100 million in old, unpaid subsidies.
Agriculture Minister Venko Serafimovski announced that the grape harvest purchase is nearly complete, with the government securing funds to pay wineries and rice processors, while apple producers "will be paid." The ministry previously confirmed additional subsidies for delivered apples have already been disbursed to some producers.
Still, these positive announcements come against an acknowledgment that 2025 subsidies remain partly unpaid — according to analyses in the agricultural sector, the state owes farmers more than €100 million from previous support cycles. This gap between current announcements of "funds being secured" and the outstanding debt shows the payment-delay problem isn't new, but structural and recurring year after year.
For farmers, the question isn't just whether this year's payment for grapes, rice and apples arrives on time, but whether the state will also reduce the outstanding debt from previous years — without that, every new announcement of "secured funds" remains a partial picture, while the total financial gap in the sector keeps growing.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 6, 2026
