Agriculture Minister Ljupco Nikolovski urged farmers to sow every single available field, and promised to provide financial aid to them to buy the overpriced fertilizers and oil. Macedonia is beginning to face food shortage as the inflation and the war in Ukraine take their toll on supplies.

We must support domestic production and end our dependence on imports. We provided money to subsidize all branches of agriculture and there is no room for panic. We will have enough food, Nikolovski said.

But at the same time, he acknowledged that much will depend on Serbia and its willingness to lift its export ban on crucial items such as cooking oil and grains. Nikolovski added that Macedonia is also trying to provide fertilizers from Turkey.