Thursday and Friday, on November 3 and 4, in Paris, the meeting of Ministers for Agriculture of Member and non-member States of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was held: “Building sustainable agriculture and food systems in a changing environment: Shared challenges, transformative solutions”. Latvia was represented at the meeting by Edgars Kronbergs, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).
This year, the conference of Ministers for Agriculture was searching for common solutions to overcome the current global food safety crisis, caused by the aggressive policy of Russia. Member States came forward with their opinions and together looked for specific means to ensure global food supplies in nearest months and years. Specific instruments were searched for which would be suitable not only in short-term but also long-term crisis. Member States also endeavored to find effective ways to strengthen international cooperation to protect food supplies from possible breaches in future.
“This is the threefold challenge – to feed ever growing number of global populations, providing wholesome food, ensuring such production methods, which, as far as possible, protect nature resources and at the same time ensure adequate conditions for farmers and keep rural areas populated”, said Edgars Kronbergs, MoA Parliamentary Secretary.
Latvia is able to provide food not only to satisfy the domestic market but also contribute to the global food safety. However, not all the expenses, incurred by farmers due to more and more stringent standards in area of the environmental protection and other areas, can be compensated by income from product sales.
“Therefore, Common Agricultural Policy provides opportunities to partly compensate these expenses and move forward the development of agriculture with motivating subsidies. For Latvia’s agriculture, in long-term, it is important to get access to global market on equal conditions therefore, resilience of food chains must be strengthened both at national and international level”, Edgars Kronbergs explains.
The meeting of Ministers for Agriculture of OECD Member and non-members States adopted the Declaration on Transformative Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems, where they are committing to support transformation of agricultural and food system management, expand international dialogue and carry out comprehensive activities to eradicate hunger and all kinds of low-value nutrition by strengthening supply chains, increasing investments in research, reducing food waste and carrying out other important measures. The full text of Declaration is available HERE.
There are 38 developed States of the world also represented in OECD organization, which continue developing their agriculture sector and food system both at global and national level, according to the needs of their consumers and the nature. The meetings of Ministers for Agriculture of OECD Member and non-member states and representatives are being convened to discuss issues what agricultural policy is needed to ensure a higher production of more sustainable and flexible agricultural produce and ensuring of food systems.