& nbsp & nbsp Άγγελος Νικολάου & nbsp; & nbsp; The Commission presented its readiness to provide assistance to the Member States during yesterday's informal meeting of EU ministers on the state of agricultural markets following the invasion of Ukraine. The French Presidency spoke of close monitoring of the whole situation and readiness to take all necessary measures and states its willingness to participate in the effort to support the agricultural market.
According to the Commission, the invasion of Ukraine risks disrupting global markets for agricultural products and goods needed for agricultural production, such as energy and fertilizers. Since the beginning of the conflict, there has been a sharp rise in world prices. This further affects markets, which have recently experienced historically high prices for commodities. p>
It is noted that Russia and Ukraine are extremely important for the world market of cereals and oilseeds. Ukraine, and to a lesser extent Russia, are important suppliers to the EU for most cereals. Cyprus imports 90% of its feed and 95% of its fertilizers from other EU countries and is therefore expected to be indirectly affected by the crisis. A particularly important factor in dealing with the crisis is the adequate supply of Ukraine with food and seeds and the provision of food security.
In his speech, the Minister of Agriculture Costas Kadis stated that Cyprus, which depends almost entirely on the import of fertilizers and raw materials for animal feed, has been experiencing extremely difficult situations in recent years in the agricultural sector and mainly in livestock. He added that the negative effects of rising costs of cereals, feed and energy, which will no doubt intensify due to the crisis in Ukraine, will certainly worsen the already aggravated situation.
Cyprus called on the Commission to set up a special framework for the implementation of support measures for the affected sectors. He warned that if the appropriate measures are not taken, the future of agriculture is extremely bleak. “In this context, it is considered necessary to ensure the adequacy of raw materials throughout the EU and especially in island Member States that are facing greater difficulties in the supply chain. Especially in relation to the supply of grain, we must collectively consider alternative markets in order to reduce our dependence on the war zone. It must be ensured that in the event of a prolongation of the crisis, all countries will have access to raw materials, so that no agricultural or livestock holding is deprived of the quantities necessary to maintain sustainability, “said Kadis, stressing that the Commission will monitor the situation as a whole, will have to keep the Member States regularly informed of both the data and the measures it intends to take.
Costas Kadis said that the EU could possibly turn to new markets for the feed sector, which would lead to a significant increase in costs and transport time. He emphasized that the current EU food and feed law could not be used by companies in some countries because their products did not meet EU standards. data to manage the situation and seek solutions to supply problems arising from the conflict in Ukraine.
According to the Minister of Agriculture, the situation in Cyprus, where the main problems in the market are located in prices cereals and feed and consequently in most livestock sectors, is expected to worsen due to the conflict in Ukraine. Another factor that affects the viability of farms is the increase in the price of fuel and consequently the increase in the price of electricity. All this together contributes to the increase in production costs and with the negative effects of both the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic and the recent crisis, the profit margins in the productive Sectors are significantly reduced. & Nbsp;
