Brussels, 08/07/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 8 July, the COPA (Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations) and the COGECA (General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives) welcomed the G8 initiative to focus more attention on how investment in farming can help fight world hunger.
COPA-COGECA Secretary General Pekka Pesonen said that ensuring food safety had to be “a key objective in the 21st century” and that there must be optimal use of the contribution from local farmers and agricultural cooperatives everywhere. He said that “volatility on agricultural markets and low producer prices have led to many years of underinvestment in farming”. He highlighted, too, the importance of a “transparent and balanced” food chain, and argued that agricultural cooperatives “help to improve farmers' position on the market, enable them to add greater value to their products and keep a greater share of the final price”. (L.C./transl.rt)