Latgale entrepreneurs ready to compete with imported vegetables

On May 14, the Minister of Agriculture in Latgale met with the leadership of the association “Zemnieku saeima” (ZSA) and visited the farm SIA “Latgales zērķi loģistika”, where they jointly discussed the development of entrepreneurship in rural regions, trade opportunities and public procurement, as well as the creation of additional added value in enterprises. Also during the meeting, ZSA members discussed the problem of afforestation of agricultural land with the minister.

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During the visit, the participants were pleasantly surprised by the environmentally friendly and state-of-the-art company, which grows tomatoes in modern greenhouses on an area of 0.5 ha and employs 25 employees. The company's products are already offered in stores throughout Latvia. Unlike imported vegetables, which travel to Latvia for weeks, tomatoes from the greenhouse are delivered to the "Mežvidu" store chains within one day. The company does not intend to stop at current investments and achievements, but will expand and develop tomato processing.

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Minister of Agriculture Jānis Dūklavs: "The greenhouse complex "Mežvidi" is a model of a modern company that successfully attracts EU funding, uses the most modern technologies and innovative solutions for efficient management. It is pleasing that the company is thinking about both development and increasing the added value of its products."

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Edgars Romanovskis, member of the board of SIA “Latgales zērēju loģistika”: "We are grateful that the Minister of Agriculture Jānis Dūklavs and the Farmers' Council created the opportunity to visit our farm and we are pleased with the fruitful discussion. The most important issue was the Agricultural Enterprise Modernization Program, where we agreed that this program should be continued in the next planning period. We also came to a common conclusion with the Minister of Agriculture about the importance of integrated solutions for increasing the competitiveness of Latvian farmers, which in the case of the Mežvidu farm is the completion of the construction and commissioning of a biomass cogeneration power plant using local energy resources, as well as the creation of an energy-efficient plant lighting system. We are pleased to note that we are creating understanding and support from the Minister on all our important issues.”

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Also during the meeting, an example of how significant areas of agricultural land are being afforested in the Kārsava region was discussed and reviewed.

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Valdis Zujs, member of the association "Farmers' Council" and owner of IK "Izidori" from Rēzekne region: "Yesterday, the Minister was surprised by the extent to which agricultural land has been afforested in Latgale and what impact this has on local government taxes. Currently, the owner of afforested agricultural land does not pay land tax, which has a devastating impact on local government budgets. This is especially important in cases where one or more investors have entered local governments, each of whom has afforested hundreds or even thousands of hectares. I believe that no agricultural land should be afforested, and even more so that the terrain cannot be used as an excuse. If in Soviet times the fields could be cultivated with the equipment available at that time, then today it should not be a problem at all. The most important thing is what laws we adopt to protect our land. I am passionate about what I do, but I cannot compete with foreign investors. Therefore, I hope that the Latvian government and members of the Saeima will finally realize the problem and create favorable conditions for the competitiveness and development of farmers. Similarly, all residents of Latvia must think and "We must be aware of who to sell land to, because each and every one of us is responsible for the future of the country."

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The visit was attended by Minister of Agriculture Jānis Dūklavs, Chairman of the association “Farmers' Parliament” Juris Lazdiņš, Deputy Chairman Maira Dzelzkalēja, Deputy Secretary of State Rigonda Pārsla Krieviņa, Head of the Minister's Office Kristīne Rīna, and members of the “Farmers' Parliament”.