A series of meetings between the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Czesław Siekierski, and representatives of agricultural chambers across the country are underway. In recent days, the head of the ministry met with representatives of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Chamber of Agriculture and with representatives of agricultural organizations in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. The talks concerned, among others: support for biosecurity, assistance for farmers affected by unfavorable weather phenomena, agricultural insurance and the functioning of the drought application.
Czesław Siekierski looked at the situation of pig production, which is at an extremely low level and amounts to approximately 8.5 million pieces, while in the past it was up to 20 million pieces.
If the number of pigs was higher, there would be no grain problem, there would be no grain shortage – noted Minister Siekierski.
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Siekierski: there is money for biosecurity
He also emphasized that biosecurity is particularly important during the spread of ASF.
There is money for this and we cannot miss it, he assured. -Unfortunately, the causes of the spread of ASF have not yet been thoroughly investigated. I recently talked about this topic with farmers in Greater Poland, and we are also talking about it today. I know that farmers are aware of this issue. Farmers who produce on a larger scale are very careful to comply with biosecurity rules, he added.
The head of the Ministry of Agriculture also referred to the issue of support for those affected by unfavorable weather phenomena
We received EUR 37 billion for this aid from the European Commission. We can also add 200% from the national budget to this amount. Thanks to this, we will have a significant pool of funds to support this group of agricultural producers, said Minister Siekierski.
He also added that in the case of people affected by hailstorms and storms, which in some communes destroyed entire crops, talks are being held on how they can be supported.
There, from a practical point of view, it is already harvest time. In this case, we must provide assistance from the national budget as quickly as possible so that farmers can utilize what is left in the field from crops and then restore production. We are negotiating with the Minister of Finance on this matter – reminded the head of the Ministry of Agriculture. – When it comes to farmers affected by drought, we will want to support these farmers with help from next year's budget. Unfortunately, this will never fully cover the damage. This is help in a difficult situation and farmers know it, said the minister.
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What to do with the insurance system?
In fact, the topic of agricultural insurance is a regular element of the minister's meetings with farmers and representatives of agricultural unions and chambers. It couldn't be missed this time either. The minister admitted that he was aware that not all farmers could afford to insure their crops, even though the state budget subsidized 65% of the insurance rate. He also emphasized that he was aware of inappropriate behavior of insurance companies in some cases.
We are in talks with these companies regarding greater openness to farmers. We want to create an agreement that will protect farmers and at the same time ensure the safety of companies – noted Minister Siekierski.
Another topic that could not be left out was the operation of the dry application. The head of the ministry assured that work to improve it is ongoing. He also pointed out that consultations with farmers are being carried out on this topic.
We will be conducting talks with the Institute of Fertilization and Soil Science – National Research Institute (IUNG-PIB) to strengthen the data collection system. We are aware that this is a problem and we want to solve it as soon as possible, emphasized the head of the Ministry of Agriculture.
