The National Convention on the European Union in North Macedonia held the tenth session of Working Group 1 – Agriculture and Rural Development (Chapter 11) on April 13, in the Club of Deputies on the topic “Agri-food markets and food security in the current global crisis context.”
The dialogue in which all of the stakeholders participated, starting with the policy makers, namely representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, the Ministry of economy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the representatives from a number of associations and cooperatives of farmers and processors, the representatives from chambers of commerce, the payment agency and other civil societies, along with the academic circles, was opened by the national coordinator and president of the European Movement, Mileva Gjurovska.
“The topic of today’s session is connected to the aftermath of the current crisis which has created big turbulences on the markets for agricultural food products. As we are entering the moment where the agricultural season is at its peak, we can see the problem – the lack of seed material, fertilizers, fuels, pesticides and other raw materials the price of which is constantly rising. This reality calls for new urgent measures for overcoming the aftermath of this crisis. The EU refers to the urgent need to create policies to solve these problems, but the concern of Macedonian farmers are also worried about the loss of agricultural markets,” said Gjurovska, in her introductory speech, while opening the discussion with the questions of how to stimulate the farmers to produce food in conditions where it’s not known where they can sell said products, and if the new stimulating measures will be implemented in time, as well as if the EU will even include the countries that are candidates for membership.
The minister of agriculture, forestry and water management, Ljupcho Nikolovski, who also had an introductory remark on the subject, explained that there is a need for measures which will help the agriculture, and with it, the entire country.
“The challenges can be large and far-reaching. That is why we are fully focused on providing everything that is necessary for stabilizing the production and unhindered sowing for the following year. It is our duty to be ready and offer solutions for all of the problems. The critical situation in world agriculture means careful preparation for a long-term strategy. Finances are provided for all agricultural branches, and we won’t leave room for worry. We are going steady and with a plan, in the process of approving measures which the farmers are recommending”, said the minister Nikolovski, expressing readiness to accept the recommendations, suggesting, ideas and concepts which would arise from the debate in order to reach sustainable production and prepare an action plan.
“A national plan for food production has been prepared, with aim for sustainable and growing production of strategic agricultural crops. This plan contains the Program for the intervention fund, for which 400 million denars are planned for intervention measures for farmers support – for smaller costs, sustainable production and a stable food market for basic agricultural food products”, said Nikolovski.
He referred to the intervention, mid-term and long-term measures, pointing out that a total of 210 million denars are for financial support of agricultural production, namely for the intervention subsidy for covering the costs for buying artificial fertilizer, along with 4000 denars per hectare of additional subsidy for artificial fertilizer that goes to the corn and wheat producers, and 2500 denars per hectare for barley and sunflower producers. A total of 190 million denars through the intervention fund are for financial support in livestock production, along with new measures to support the livestock farmers. An intervention subsidy of 400 per head is provided for a lamb which is delivered to a registered slaughterhouse, and an intervention subsidy of 1500 denars per head for all of the lambs which are over 90 kg. A new intervention subsidy is also being implemented, amounting to 60 denars per hen, which is situated on the farm and is at the age of producing consumer eggs.
According to him not a single cultivated are should not and will not be left unplanted, especially not in times of crisis like these. We must have food and cereal crops. And so, in the government procedure will be included the publishing of a new public announcement for the allocation of the state agricultural land under lease, that is, a dedicated announcement for land intended for the production of wheat, corn, barley, sunflower, and animal feed, informs Nikolovski.
The head of cooperation at EU Delegation, Steffen Hudolin, believes that the pandemic before and the crises imposed by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict now, have shown that the food production system needs to be made sustainable, but the shopping habits need to be changed as well – the food shouldn’t be thrown away, and instead stored properly.
“It is good to see what the problems before the crisis were, because they show the vulnerability of our food systems. During the pandemic, the chain had a problem with workers, quarantining workers, demand changes, habits, transportation, logistic. The producers need to adapt their habits to sanitary measures and hygiene measures. But, after the end of the pandemic, we are facing a bigger challenges – the war in Ukraine. We have big cuts, the prices are rising because there is panic-buying food,” said Hudolin.
He especially pointed out the food waste worldwide, and recommended to the country that it needs to adapt to the reduced purchases imposed by the crisis, and to make better systems – profitable for farmers, useful for citizens.
The Slovak ambassador Henrik Markus on the other hand, referred to the so-called economic diplomacy. He praised the country that it excellently understood the meaning of this concept.
“The concept of the economic diplomacy, introduced in the last decade, was understood very well by North Macedonia, and has started a lot of initiatives and projects in this direction. In times of crisis, this discipline takes on a new level of importance. Economic diplomacy must shift its focus and, by redirecting food supply chains, help the agricultural sector survive the crisis, farmers continue their missions and provide basic products for life,” Ambassador Markus said.
In the context of encouraging the reduction of food losses in the entire chain was one of the recommendations of today’s debate, as well as how to activate the local self-government, namely the municipalities in the food system and to add to the list of products that are kept in stockpiles, such as rice.
The professor of the Faculty of agricultural sciences and food, Dragi Dimitrievski, thinks that the country should intervene more seriously to change the current serious import with local production.
“The Russian-Ukrainian conflict won’t have a very serious role, but it will have an indirect impact on the rise of prices of agricultural food products. In this moment, there is no space for a more serious intervention, except normalizing the import from Serbia, as it was announced, mainly the wheat and sunflower oil. For the mid-term and long-term planning, we will need to make serous analysis and a food strategy, as well as a program for the functioning of the entire system in a state of crisis,” said professor Dimitrievski.
The director of the Department of Agriculture and Services at the Slovak Chamber of agriculture and Food, Jan Barsavari, made a parallel with the potential shortage of some products in Slovakia, pointing out as an example that only 5% of edible oil is produced there, despite having enough sunflowers. On the other hand Slovakia is an exporter of cereal crops, but the high prices of cereals might lead to a larger export than usual, which could pose a risk for the farmers to export everything that they produce and not have enough for the Slovakian mills and bakeries. According to him, the global crisis has had a great effect on meat production as well, which is especially felt by the farmers who do not have enough agricultural land to produce food for their animals, and need to buy it.
That’s why he said that “measures have been adopted at the national level and the state is helping through a pilot project which supports the so-called green energy for farmers and dairy farmers, and there are discussions to create a so-called venture fund.”
As for the measures from the EU, he highlighted three key points, which are the global food security, the humanitarian aid from the EU of 93 million euros for Ukraine and Moldova (including the food and supplies) and a proposed program for EU support for emergencies in favor of Ukraine (330 million euros).
These and other additional measures, strengthened by the pressure from farmers, give hope that we will learn to create sustainable systems of production and food supplying on the European soil, concluded today’s debate, dedicated to food supplies in the context of the current crisis.