On Friday, September 16, an informal meeting of the Council of Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries of the European Union (EU) was held in Prague (Czech Republic), in which EU Member States debated food provision and the EU role in sustainable food production in the world.
Food provision is currently in the focus of attention of national leaders, international organizations and the international community as a whole. Food provision is also a priority for the EU Council, the Presidency of which is currently held by Czech Republic. The European Commission is working tirelessly on this issue, despite the fact that EU citizens have no reason for concern about food provision. However, the issue is pressing: how to ensure food availability for low-income households in the face of increasing inflation.
Many countries are still grappling with the consequences of THE COVID-19 pandemic, and the war launched by Russia in Ukraine created a new price shock on the global food, energy and fertilizer market. Russia and Ukraine are among the largest exporters of agricultural commodities. According to the FAO, nearly 40% of total African wheat imports come from Russia and Ukraine, and in more than 30 countries 30% of wheat imports also depend on these two countries.
“We believe that the World Trade Organization can be one of the platforms to address food provision at global level,” says Raivis Kronbergs, head of the Latvian delegation and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture. "In order to make the impact of Russia and Belarus on the European Union negligible, it is important for the European Commission to monitor resource prices and market access. Member States must, on the other hand, avoid restricting exports because international cooperation in trade is very important."
Latvia points out that it is also necessary to think about measures to promote food provision. In particular, it is necessary to continue to derogate from certain ambitions of the Green Deal, which have a negative impact on agricultural production, or to introduce temporary adjustments until food stability is assured.