Troubleshooting for the agricultural sector

Agriculture ministers from the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) have met in Brussels to begin exploring solutions to address the farmers' protests that have erupted in many parts of Europe.

From Romania, Germany, Poland, to the Netherlands, France, Spain… protests, motorcade marches in city centers, highway blockades… have been and are still taking place.

There are many reasons for such protests. In Romania, Poland, and Bulgaria, the main issue is the demand to stop grain imports from Ukraine and Russia, which are driving down agricultural prices in these countries. In other countries, it's the implementation of regulations on nitrate fertilizers. Furthermore, rising energy prices are affecting not only households but also farms, equipment, and greenhouses.

The protests erupted first with Dutch farmers opposing the government 's decision to halve cattle herds, while German farmers were angered by cuts to diesel fuel subsidies for agriculture. Both the Dutch and German governments made these decisions based on the goal of reducing agricultural emissions.

According to Western news agencies, the main focus of this meeting of EU agriculture ministers is a strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture in Europe, ensuring the bloc's strategic autonomy and food security. European agricultural leaders currently lack concrete measures to address the demands of farmers.

Although Polish Agriculture Minister C. Siekierski stated that the EU's stance on some issues has softened due to pressure from the protests, observers believe that many more tense meetings will be held in the coming period to resolve internal issues, especially how to develop agriculture in a way that harmonizes the interests of farmers with the EU's goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Solutions to the current obstacles cannot be found "overnight".

MINH CHAU

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/go-roi-cho-nganh-nong-nghiep-post724205.html