“The transition to sustainable production must be properly compensated for agricultural producers. The profitability of agricultural production is a prerequisite for the success of the transformation of food systems and for ensuring food security”, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Czeslaw Siekierski in his speech at the Global Food and Agriculture Forum held in Berlin.

Minister Siekierski noted that recent years have seen a series of unforeseen, severe shocks to the global food market caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the occurrence of extreme weather events and wars.

“Disruptions to agricultural markets as a consequence of these events threaten the sustainability of the food system, pose a risk to ensuring global food security and limit the agricultural sector’s ability to contribute to ambitious environmental and climate goals”, said the Polish minister, adding that it is important to remember that the overarching goal of agriculture is to ensure food security for a growing world population. “This means that we need a sustainable and, at the same time, highly productive agriculture which, on the one hand, protects natural resources and, on the other, takes advantage of the opportunities offered by bioenergy and the bioeconomy”, emphasised the Polish minister.

The head of the Polish Ministry of Agriculture pointed out that it will not be possible to ensure food security if agriculture is not an efficient supplier of high-quality food and if it is not competitive and innovative. Considering these challenges, it is necessary to place agriculture and food security among the highest global and EU priorities.

The Global Food and Agriculture Forum was attended by agriculture ministers from more than 70 countries from around the world and representatives of more than a dozen international organisations, including the European Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski.

Adrian Andrzejewski