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LV The Farmers' Parliament briefs the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture on the situation in agriculture
Today, Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš and Minister of Agriculture Kaspars Gerhards, at the invitation of the association "Farmers' Parliament", visited agricultural companies in Zemgale and discussed with farmers the development of the sector, including the Common Agricultural Policy in Europe after 2020. The talks addressed the problem of vegetable traceability at various points of sale, the importance of reduced VAT, the shortage of labor in the sector, and the importance of state support in agriculture.
Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš: “It is very positive to see our farms and companies working with an eye on the future and seeing development opportunities in Latvia in the future. The government must continue the work it has begun on improving the business environment, including working with regulatory authorities to improve the attitude towards our entrepreneurs. I would like to thank the “Farmers' Council” for organizing the visit and the farms for their hospitable reception.”
Minister of Agriculture Kaspars Gerhards: “Cooperation and mutual understanding between the government, state institutions and non-governmental organizations in the agricultural sector are vital for the development of the sector. Sitting at an office desk alone is not possible to gain a full picture of what is happening in the Latvian agricultural sector. Therefore, I have always supported direct communication with Latvian entrepreneurs by visiting the regions in person. Direct dialogue, joint work on solving problems and mutual understanding are the keys to achieving Latvia’s common goals. I am pleased that Prime Minister K. Kariņš has found time to participate in a regional visit, where we can listen and discuss side by side with NGOs in the Latvian agricultural sector.”
Juris Lazdins, Chairman of the Association “Farmers’ Council”: “We are pleased that Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš found the opportunity to visit farmers during the harvest season, which is so important for all of us. The goal of our trip today was to show how farms of various sectors and sizes operate – from family farms to the best Baltic cooperative in Latvia. Farmers highly appreciate this step of the Prime Minister, because in the coming years we expect close cooperation not only with the Minister of Agriculture, but also with the Prime Minister, in order to jointly provide Latvia with the most favorable conditions for supporting the common agricultural policy and ensure equal competition conditions among other European Union countries.”
During the visit, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture visited three agricultural enterprises in Jelgava region: the dairy and crop farming farm "Rudeņi", the largest agricultural cooperative in Latvia "LATRAPS", as well as the farm "Paitēni", which is engaged in crop farming and garlic cultivation.
