Why can't farmers in Repaš reach their fields?

The field roads are neglected and poorly maintained, making it impossible for combines and larger vehicles to pass on certain sections.

Who is responsible for maintaining these roads?

The Municipality of Molve claims Croatian Forests are responsible for roads along forests, while Croatian Forests reject responsibility, stating they only maintain their own forest roads.

How many roads are neglected and how long has the problem been going on?

A total of five kilometers of field roads are affected. Although they were graded two years ago and more or less maintained last year, this year maintenance has been completely absent.

Does the same problem exist in other nearby places?

Yes, the mayor of Molve confirmed that the same issue of neglected roads is also present in the settlement of Molve Grede.

Croatia

Combine Harvesters Stuck in the Woods: Farmers in Repaš Unable to Reach Their Fields

B.F. · Prije 17h | 3 min

In the midst of the most intensive work season, neglected field roads block machinery passage, with the Municipality of Molve and Croatian Forests shifting blame.

Summary

Farmers in Repaš cannot reach their fields with combines due to neglected roads during the season.
The Municipality of Molve claims Croatian Forests are responsible for maintenance, but Croatian Forests deny this.
Last year the roads were maintained, but this year maintenance has been completely absent.
Residents have contacted the municipal inspector, but no solution has been found.

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Farmers in Repaš, a settlement in the municipality of Molve, are facing a serious problem during the summer work season. Due to neglected and poorly maintained field roads, they can barely reach their own plots, and on certain stretches, passage by combine harvester has become impossible, locals warn.

Five Kilometers of Obstacles

Miljenko Franjo, a farmer from Repaš, points out that the situation is drastically worse this year. Although the roads were graded two years ago and were more or less maintained last season, this year maintenance has been completely absent. This concerns a total of five kilometers of roads that are now overgrown and impassable.

"Honestly, a combine can't get through here; on one side there's either a ditch or an overgrown verge, and on the other side there are fields. So you end up trampling someone's crops or field,"

Franjo explained for Podravski list, adding that drivers are forced to drive over crops or risk damaging their machinery.

Local Self-Help and Futile Calls

Franjo notes that residents try to maintain the passages themselves, even on sections that don't belong to them. However, he believes that this is not their responsibility.

"People clear their own sides, sometimes even what isn't theirs. But why should we do that? Why should we solve this? It's a municipal road,"

he said. He has contacted the municipal inspector multiple times, but the response he received was that there are no funds for maintenance. Franjo emphasizes that the work should have been done earlier, given that summer is coming to an end.

Passing the Buck

The problem has escalated into a dispute over jurisdiction between the Municipality of Molve and Croatian Forests. The mayor of Molve, Zdravko Ivančan, said they are aware of the issue, especially regarding roads that run alongside forests. He pointed out that the municipal inspector sent a notice to Croatian Forests and that they should resolve the problem on their territory. Ivančan added that an identical problem exists in the settlement of Molve Grede and that they have a promise from those in charge at Croatian Forests that it will be resolved soon.

However, Croatian Forests tells a completely different story. They claim they maintain only forest roads that are registered in their cadastre and that field roads are not in their possession or ownership. They explicitly stated that they have no authority or obligation to maintain them. While the institutions argue, time is running out for the farmers in Repaš, and the crops are waiting.