The situation of the agricultural markets in the context of the war in Ukraine triggered by Russia dominated the bilateral meeting in Madrid, on Friday 26 August, between the Spanish and French agriculture ministers, Luis Planas and Marc Fesneau (see other news).
Since the outbreak of the war, prices of cereals, oilseeds and fertilisers have risen, Mr Planas said.
The unblocking of the port of Odessa, thanks to the international agreement signed in Istanbul in July, has allowed ships to transport more than 600,000 tonnes of grain and food products from Ukraine, namely wheat, corn, sunflower oil and soya, which has “somehow relieved some of the pressure” on agricultural markets, the Spanish minister stressed. “We need Ukrainian grain”, Mr Fesneau said. It is necessary to ensure the fluidity of the (grain) markets.
But problems of high prices persist, especially for fertilisers, the two ministers acknowledged.
“We have a concern”, about the livestock sector, added Marc Fesneau, due to the effects of the war in Ukraine and the drought.
Hence the need, in particular, to support the animal feed sector and the insurance system, added the French minister.
Food sovereignty. It is important for the EU to have autonomy in fertiliser production, Mr Planas insisted.
We need to “regain a form of sovereignty in terms of fertilisers and find transitions from mineral fertilisers to organic fertilisers”, said Mr Fesneau.
Drought. Spain and Portugal had already raised the issue of drought in the Agriculture Council. The European Commission has acknowledged that 47% of the EU territory is in severe drought. Spain has taken a series of measures and will convene the ‘drought committee’ in the next few days. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)