France’s Aid Package for Farmers to Reach $3.3 Bln Over 3 Years

The French government will increase the financial aid for farmers to 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) over the course of the next three years as part of measures to settle the current crisis in the agrarian sector, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Thursday.

PARIS (Sputnik) – Earlier on Thursday, over 1,300 tractors flooded the streets of Paris as part of a protest by French farmers against the declining food prices. The protesters called on the government to extend its 600-million-euro ($670-million) aid plan for the agrarian sector, announced in July.

In a speech broadcasted by the BFM television channel, Valls said that the government will also authorize postponement of farmers’ debt repayment to banks.

The government's priority in the settlement of the crisis remains to continue pressuring manufacturers and sellers of final products to keep the food prices from falling, according to the prime minister.

Farmers have been staging protests across France this summer to draw attention to the crisis.