On Thursday 15 September, an informal meeting of the Council of Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries of the European Union (EU) will take place in Prague (Czech Republic). At the same time, EU Member States will discuss food security and the EU role in sustainable food production in the world. The Latvian delegation at the informal meeting in Prague will be chaired by Raivis Kronbergs, State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Currently, many countries are still struggling with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Russia's war in Ukraine, meanwhile, has led to price turmoil in the global food, energy and fertilizer market. Worries about global food availability have been expressed by the FAO and the World Food Program, warning that acute food shortages will intensify and may affect the population of 20 countries around the world.
EU citizens have no reason to be concerned about provision with food, but EU Member States will have to address the issue of ensuring food availability for low-income households in the face of increasing inflation. The European Council has therefore focused on food security at EU level as the main priority of this year, and it is also in Latvia's interest to ensure that food prices do not increase significantly.
Overall, it should be noted that the global population continues growing, more efforts must be made, and innovation should be promoted in order to increase agricultural production in a sustainable manner, improve the global supply chain, reduce food losses and ensure full food for all people.