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Even more so when the new financial period begins and it depends on the decisions of the Ministry of Agriculture which sectors will receive the main focus and the most support.
We talk about the changes that await in agriculture at the Delfi Tema fair.
Comparing the previous period in the Ministry of the Environment (MoD) and the beginning of this period in the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), K. Navickas said that the first impression is that agriculture is unique in the sense that the interests Glades of various groups are visible to the naked eye. In AM, these interests are more hidden, “sophisticated”, the schemas are more complex and often much more difficult to track, this can only be seen by analyzing the derived data.
“For example, there is a tradition that large farmers feel part of the Ministry of Agriculture and believe that the ministry should serve them. I would like to change that ”, mentioned K. Navickas as one of the objectives and says that it is culturally new for him that the ministry is a servant of certain associations, although he expected something similar. At least I would like to change my communication habits.
“I want to feel the interests of the little weak and find solutions in the fields of all interests that are beneficial to the state,” says K. Navickas.
Commenting on the words that the conservative Jurgis Razma gave him as Foreign Minister in 2018: “The deficiencies of the Minister are fundamental in all areas of his responsibility. Their responsibilities are too heavy, the political leadership is not visible ”, the future minister described it only as a political game. K. Navickas was delegated to the Ministry of the Environment by farmers, now conservatives.
Kęstutis Navickas
“It is the job of the opposition to criticize the well-performing ministers and remove them from government first,” the future minister explained about the political nuances, saying that such rhetoric meant nothing personal. It is just a game to win the votes of the voters and can be seen as a theater.
“They called me Jozef Gebels, but when the cameras are off and interests must be balanced, we speak normally. It is only a public theater. Still, the final decision is made by the government,” says the future minister.
He says that when he worked as Minister of the Environment, the main objective was the best possible environmental protection. The minimum objective of the Ministry of Agriculture is to discover and build bridges between the environment and agriculture. According to him, there is no need to dig trenches, solutions can be found that benefit all parties. Some farmers are already applying modern solutions to reduce pollution and if all the big farms were to move in this direction, it would be a big step forward. The Minister is convinced that a compromise between intensive agriculture and environmental protection is possible.
“My radicalization is limited by the government program. I am a politician, and the job of a politician is to reconcile all possible interests and work consistently in the implementation of this program, ”says K. Navickas, saying that it is necessary to place compost and that this would be a great step forward in the implementation of EU directives.
Obligations like the preparation of fertilization plans can be solved by merging several official databases used in Lithuania. A suitable tool for this is halfway through development and will benefit both agricultural and environmental policy makers. With their help, the various European instruments can be applied much more effectively and better results can be achieved. Digitization is also foreseen in the European Recovery Plan.
Support for farm modernization is being designed and the money will also go to large farms.
“It is not reasonable to say that the Green Course and climate change mitigation are just a harness or a stone under the neck. It is necessary to overcome fears with concrete examples and encourage the development of good examples,” says K. Navickas, emphasizing that merging the funds of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Agriculture would be much more beneficial for the state than now.
As for small and medium farms, the designated minister appointed them managing up to 50 ha, but the value of production must be taken into account, which small farms need to increase to be able to sell not a raw material but a final product. This is one of several ways. Another form of cooperation, but if it does not happen, the ministry should become an intermediary between the farms and the people of the city in the formation of food baskets and thus facilitate the sale of products to farmers. Another incentive will be to facilitate the participation of farmers in public procurement.
“As long as farmers do not have safe and cheap sales channels, they will only be able to compete as suppliers of raw materials. In economies of scale, the small ones will never compete with the big ones, which keep growing ”, says K. Navickas.
Speaking on the point in the Government’s program that generational change in agriculture should be encouraged, the Minister noted that some regions are “terribly quiet” or farms are run by older people.
“For generations, this is a beautiful but difficult goal to achieve. We are thinking of a tool that is used in France. There a kind of pilot training farms were created. A young family or a young farmer who has no seed capital can try his hand at a pilot farm where there are consultants, land, machinery. Business incubators work in a similar way. There, the family works for a few years until they are on their feet and then they can go out and build their own farm, making room for others. This is my idea, which I would like to implement ”, says K. Navickas.
Commenting on the declared desire of colleagues in the coalition to abolish the benefit of labeled diesel, K. Navickas said that this government does not want to worsen competitive conditions for farmers. However, this question is not unequivocal.
“Adding up all the benefits that farmers have, including the use of groundwater in addition to diesel, direct tax-free payments, we need to do a comparative analysis and decide if it is worth making a change. Neither the Prime Minister nor I promise revolutions. Change is possible, for example, if we support non-farm agriculture that reduces climate change. It requires much less fuel than traditional agriculture. The diesel preferential rates can be reviewed below. However, they will not change overnight, ”Navickas explains, saying that there will be no quick fixes and, for example, the taxation of direct payments.
Kęstutis Navickas
According to the minister, first of all, it will be analyzed whether Lithuania stands out from other EU countries in this area. If it turns out that we are not exceptional, the debate on taxes on direct payments may not even start.
As for the people who only cut the meadows and receive benefits, K. Navickas was not willing to fight them. The EU is investing in the environment and maintaining the landscape. We are seeing a growing bird population, which means that these measures are meeting their objectives. Society benefits not only from the products produced, but also from the landscape, soil health, the reduction of climate change, and rural infrastructure.
“The result is not just the finished product. If we expand the cultivated areas like in the steppes of Kazakhstan, we will have problems. Society is diverse and we will not get the support of such a policy from the people who live in the city. The government is there to coordinate everyone’s positions, ”explains K. Navickas, noting that agriculture itself is changing.
For example, there is an increase in beef cattle being kept outdoors throughout the year, but this poses difficulties for manure management. On the other hand, this area is attractive with the arrival of the so-called Green Field, especially in infertile lands and where the population density is low. It is also possible to find agrotechnical solutions so that even intensive agriculture is as harmful as possible to nature.
K. Navickas also mentioned the goals he would like to achieve during the four years of his tenure. It is the involvement of small and medium-sized farms in the food chain so that they create more value and sell consumer products instead of raw materials. Another aspiration is to end the huge confrontation between environmentalists and farmers. Furthermore, the goal is to develop as many modern production farms as possible.
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