THERE IS NO REASON AT THE MOMENT TO FORESEE THE POSSIBLITY OF FOOD SHORTAGES

“There is, at the moment, no reason to foresee the possibility of food shortages”, clarifies the Portugal’s Ministry of Agriculture following news that report the possibility of food shortages and the increase in food prices.

The note states that “in terms of food prices, there is an upward trend across the European Union, due to the high costs of raw materials, fertilizers and energy. This trend could be exacerbated by the current military conflict between Russia and Ukraine”.

The Ministry of Agriculture is, together with the other governmental areas, “carrying out permanent monitoring and follow-up regarding the national food supply. In this regard, it met, on 28 February, with the Monitoring and Assessment Group for the Conditions of Supply of Goods in the Agri-food and Retail Sectors as a result of Market Dynamics, and no risk of disruption in supply was reported. A new meeting with this Group is scheduled for the 21st of March”.

This monitoring is also carried out through the Planning, Policies and General Administration Office, with a meeting of the Consultative Committee for the Cereals Sector with the Portuguese farmers’ confederations scheduled for the 18th of March, and a meeting of the Minister of Agriculture with the confederations, for next Monday, the 14th.

Portugal mainly imports cereals for animal feed from Ukraine, with other alternative origins for these raw materials (South America and North America), with which operators already have contact. In addition, operations and contacts with new suppliers are also underway, as is the case with South Africa”. “Cereals intended for human consumption, such as bread-making wheat, have France as their main import source, and this circuit is stable and consolidated”.

https://www.portugal.gov.pt/pt/gc22/comunicacao/noticia…