About us

The Ministry is delivering tasks and strategic approaches to ensure sustainable use of agricultural resources and to provide consumers with qualitative and safe food. In order to assure varied, safe and competitive food, the Ministry is developing national policy on food chain, food quality and safety, crop production, plant protection and health.  

Animal health and welfare are closely linked to food safety and quality. The Ministry is therefore responsible for developing national policy in the areas of livestock, breeding, feed, veterinary medicine, animal health and welfare.

The Ministry is responsible for developing policy and management for the fisheries sector, including surveillance of sustainable use of fish resources, restocking and research, as well as managing of fishing rights in the territorial sea and high seas. The Ministry also develops programs and conditions for acquiring support from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

The aim is to develop policy documents related to forest sector, including sustainable management and use of forest resources. The Ministry also coordinates operation of the Forest Development Fund which finances forest sector support and development programs, scientific research of forests, and education and training of forest owners. Almost half of forests in Latvia are owned by state, majority of that is managed by the Joint Stock Company "Latvian State Forests”. 

In this area, the Ministry commits to development and implementation of effective national and European Union support policies for agriculture and rural development. To achieve this goal, the Ministry coordinates Latvia’s rural development policy, implements the EU Common Agricultural Policy, develops and implements Latvian Rural Development Programmes.  

To build up a competitive agriculture and food industry, the Ministry sets up target to ensure participation in the development of foreign trade policy and market promotion measures in the areas of its competence. It also aims to ensure functioning of agricultural economic and statistical information systems.

Support to sustainable use of natural resources is realized by development of state policy related to climate change mitigation, sustainable agricultural and forest land use and management. The Ministry promotes the production of biomass in order to produce food and fodder, industrial products, and energy  food, feed or also other bioproducts and bioenergy. The Ministry is also responsible for the maintenance of drainage systems of national importance.

The Ministry contributes to ensuring effective representation of the interests of the sector on the EU scale and in other international institutions, as well as to promoting international bilateral cooperation.

In order to facilitate the development of agri-related sectors through research and education, the Ministry promotes the implementation and coordination of a common science and research policy for agriculture, forestry, fisheries, veterinary medicine, food and rural development, as well as represents the interests of the industry in issues related to higher and vocational secondary education.