Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina announced Monday evening that the government has agreed to impose a ban on the import of Russian wheat.
Agriculture Minister Armands Krauze and the leader of the progressive parliamentary group Andris Šuvajevs, who attended the press conference with Silina, confirmed that the relevant draft law will be drafted and adopted by Parliament in February, reports the Latvian national broadcaster LSM .
According to Krauze, control over grain transiting through Latvia will be strengthened. During the inspection, the quality and safety of the grain is evaluated and its origin is determined. The latter is important to find out whether the grain comes from Russia or was stolen from the occupied territories of Ukraine.
The Minister of Agriculture emphasized that Ukraine has its own database and scientific methods that EU member states can use to determine whether wheat was grown in Russia or Ukraine.
Furthermore, coalition partners agreed that companies using grains of Russian origin in their production will no longer have access to state subsidies.
“This means that if Latvian producers, processors and farmers want to ask for and receive help, they must accept and confirm that they will not receive corn of Russian origin in any form in the future,” Krauze said.
The prime minister, for his part, said it was difficult to estimate the financial impact of the import ban.
The proposal to ban the import of Russian wheat has been discussed in Latvia for a long time, but until now the government has not wanted to impose it unilaterally, hoping for a joint EU decision. According to previous government statements, a unilateral ban would not be effective because Russian wheat imports continue to pass through other EU countries.
According to a poll conducted by LSM and Norstat, almost half of Latvians support a ban on the import of Russian grain, raw materials and other food products. However, about a third do not support it.
The survey was conducted from January 16 to 25 and a total of 1,008 people aged between 18 and 74 responded to the questions.
32% of respondents fully supported the ban on the import of Russian grains, raw materials and other food products, while another 16 rather supported it.
12%, however, are not in favor of the ban and 20% do not support it at all.
The rest of the interviewees remained neutral or failed to take a position.
2024-01-29 17:53:00
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