Latvian farmers are capable of fully providing the population with food

Taking into account the spread of the coronavirus and the declared state of emergency in Latvia, the association "Farmers' Council" points out that there is currently no reason for concern and the need to create excessive food stockpiles. In Latvia, we are self-sufficient in food and in certain product groups we produce even twice as much as we can consume.

Consulting with industry experts, it has been determined that the stocks in warehouses are sufficient to ensure continuous food availability for the population. For example, the two leading Latvian grain processing companies are able to produce up to 160 tons of pasta, 350 tons of flour and 115 tons of oatmeal per day. Similarly, every day in Latvia we produce more milk, eggs and meat than we consume.

The stocks of grain, potatoes and beets created in farmers' warehouses are sufficient to provide for the population until the next harvest. Meanwhile, cucumbers and tomatoes are already being produced in greenhouses from the new harvest.

The association "Farmers' Parliament" has called on the Ministry of Agriculture to evaluate the possibility of conducting intervention purchases for certain product groups, if necessary. In turn, we call on processing companies and traders to work in good faith, not to take advantage of the current crisis situation and not to increase product prices.