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| PM: State of food security “catastrophic” |
| Prag, 15.05.2019 |
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| Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš described the country’s agricultural self-sufficiency as catastrophic in a speech to members of the Chamber of Agriculture on Sunday. He also defended the high-levels of rapeseed cultivation, which he said is a victim of mythmaking. In his Sunday meeting with representatives of the Chamber of Agriculture, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš did not mince his words.
He was particularly adamant when it came to Czech food security, describing the current state as “catastrophic”.
The chamber’s president Zdeněk Jandejsek provided data which showed the country only produces 36 to 38 percent of the necessary benchmark for pork, 55 percent of chicken meat, 60 percent of eggs and 85 percent of the required milk.
According to the prime minister, whose government has pledged to increase the country’s self-sufficiency in food production, it is the result of a lack of vision by politicians in the 1990s.
The fundamental mistake, he says, was to sell agricultural land to foreign nationals.
However, some have criticised the government’s self-sufficiency policy.
They say that Mr. Babiš, who is the founder of the country’s largest agriculture conglomerate Agrofert, is simply looking for ways to ensure the holding increases its profit.
Another argument used by opponents such as the deputy-head of the Association of Private Agriculture Jan Štefl is that favouring certain commodities would narrow down the options for small and medium-sized farmers.
“We entered the EU understanding that we will respect the free market. This free market does not make it possible to fund or significantly support the production of commodities that are chosen by the state.”
The policy of self-sufficiency is older than the current ruling coalition and has been present within Czech political debate for many years.
Bohuslav Sobotka’s government of 2013-2017 accepted a plan seeking to enact adequate self-sufficiency by 2030.
Its Agriculture Minister Marián Jurečka argued that it was a logical choice from an ecological, labour and security perspective.
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