Agriculture Ministers Address Common Problems of Slovak and Czech Farmers

Topolcianky, July 1 (TASR) - The Common Agricultural Policy, the European Union regulation on deforestation and the dual quality of food were high on the agenda of the meeting between Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) and his Czech counterpart Marek Vyborny in the town of Topolcianky (Nitra region). The ministers concurred that the agricultural problems of the two countries are very similar and that both states will benefit from increased cooperation at professional level. The agriculture ministers stated that the setting of the Common Agricultural Policy is bureaucratic. "We must do our best to ensure that the new leadership of the European Commission and the new European Parliament set reasonable targets that we can achieve, not some exaggerated targets," said Takac. Takac and Vyborny also discussed the possible impact of Ukraine's accession to the EU. According to Výborny, European agriculture must be prepared for Ukraine's potential accession to the Union. "It's a big challenge. On the one hand, it'll mean opening up the market, but at the same time it carries risks that we need to analyse in advance, prepare impact studies and know how to prepare for it," pointed out Vyborny. According to both ministers, it'll be necessary to review what kind of crops are sown in both countries. "Farmers in Slovakia grow cereals on an area of 500,000 hectares and for several years have been exporting their production abroad, mainly to Western European countries. However, these typical markets are gradually being occupied by Ukrainian farmers," assessed Takac. According to him, there is room to increase one's own food self-sufficiency. "The vacated areas should be used to expand the cultivation areas of fruits, vegetables, and increase livestock numbers," he said. Vyborny sees a similar problem in the Czech Republic. "We repeatedly deal with low purchase prices for grain, oilseeds and other commodities. Therefore, the question is whether one way is not to reconsider the seed mix, whether there is no room to look for other commodities," confirmed the Czech agriculture minister. am/mcs