Reader opinion Domestic agriculture urgently needs support

The war in Ukraine is also affecting the rise in food and energy prices in Finland.

Already it is clear that hostilities on Ukrainian soil will raise the price of food everywhere. The humanitarian repercussions of the war are frightening to imagine.

Ukraine is a very important exporter of grain to North Africa and the Middle East, among others. The war will inevitably weaken Ukrainian agriculture and may make it more difficult to export food from Russia, as well as generate speculation, which will further increase the price of grain. The poorest and most vulnerable people in developing countries will suffer the most, but we here in Finland will not shy away from the sharp rise in food and energy prices.

Agriculture must be in a completely different position in Finland and throughout the European Union. The EU’s common agricultural policy was created in time to boost Europe’s rudimentary agriculture in the aftermath of the Second World War. We may have similar times ahead of us, and that is why the priorities for agricultural policy need to be rethought.

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It must also be remembered that our agriculture is highly dependent on external inputs such as energy, fertilizers and machinery. There are opportunities. For example, increasing biogas recovery capacity on farms will increase security of supply and reduce climate emissions.

An immediate crisis package is needed for agriculture, as fuel prices, among other things, will rise sharply. In the long run, of course, the crisis will also raise producer prices, but farms must now be kept afloat at all costs until next summer. The harvest of 2022 may be the most important in Finnish history since the Second World War.

Hopefully farming as a profession will finally get the honor it deserves.

Peter Östman

Member of Parliament for Credit

Reader opinions are speeches written by HS readers, selected and delivered by HS’s editorial staff. You can leave a comment or read the principles of writing at www.hs.fi/kirjtamielipidekirjoitus/.

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