Minister Opens Agriculture&Food Fair
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Iztok Jarc opened the 45th annual Agriculture and Food Fair in Gornja Radgona on Saturday, underscoring the need to make the sector more competitive and get ready for the challenges raised by the global market and climate change.
The opening was attended by several officials from other European countries, among them the agriculture minister of the EU-presiding Portugal, as this year the fair is marked by Slovenia's preparations for the EU presidency in the first half of 2008.
Jarc pointed to favourable economic trends in Slovenia since the country joined the EU, while he added that agriculture too was better off than in the pre-accession period. He believes the country is in a pretty good economic condition thanks to adequate government policies and the common agricultural policy. The new, seven-year rural development programme and an overhaul of direct payments in the EU provided a predictable and stable financial framework for the period until 2013, the minister said.
According to Jarc, Slovenia produces excellent, high-quality, safe and delicious food, so farming and the food industry deserve higher esteem among consumers. He believes that the future of the industry is based on quality, consumer-orientation and partnership among farmers, the food-processing industry and retail.
Portuguese Agriculture Minister Jaime Silva meanwhile noted that the common European agricultural policy must operate in unity and must be mindful of climate change. Its job is also to ease the life of farmers and to persuade the consumers that farmers make a greater effort than they used to in order to produce healthy food and protect the environment, Silva said. Silva later addressed a panel on the EU presidency priorities, voicing the confidence that Slovenia would be successful in implementing the common agricultural policy (CAP) during its stint at the helm of the EU.
Representatives of the EU-presiding trio, which apart from Portugal and Slovenia also features Germany, showed unity over the CAP. Some changes are necessary until 2013, but no major ones, while the common policy will probably have to be revamped after that date, Jarc said.
Niel Parish, who chairs the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, added that the CAP did not mean EU nations were equal, but that they wished to cooperate while preserving diversity. He mentioned the wine reform, saying Slovenia need not fear cuts in production.
The fair in the northeastern town of Gornja Radgona features 1,560 exhibitors from 28 countries. Moreover, some 60 panels and lectures will be held there until Friday.
More articles from this issue:
Archive
|