BELGRADE, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Eight days of road blockades and scuffles with police came to an end in the early hours of Monday, when Croatian government officials signed an incentive agreement with disgruntled farmers.

Under the compromise agreement, farmers with small plots less than 300 hectares would receive an 86-percent aid package in cash and compensation to help with the Spring sowing season. The main concession for the farmers was the government's agreement to start paying down its 28-million-euro debt to farmers from previous years.

Although Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor expressed her satisfaction with the talks, she did lament that Croatian farmers had taken to the streets instead of the bargaining table, reported the Croatian state news agency HINA.

Farmi...