The war in Ukraine and its threats hang over the Paris Agricultural Show
Thousands of visitors passed through the doors of the International Agricultural Show in Paris on February 26, 2022. AFP - LUDOVIC MARIN
Text by: RFI Follow
3 mins
Does the war started by Russia threaten European agriculture?
Difficulties in grain supply and soaring gas prices are worrying.
Russia and Ukraine are the world's largest and fourth grain exporters, respectively.
At the International Agricultural Show in Paris, which reopened after two years of absence, the conflict in Eastern Europe is on everyone's mind.
An essential corner of the campaign for a head of state who fails to launch his own.
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Pierre Dubief, farmer and president of communication for the cereals sector in France, seeks to reassure.
For 2022, there will be no cereal shortages but logistical difficulties are to be expected.
“
How will this grain be transported?
Inevitably, all sectors of activity will have consequences with this conflict.
Factors of production will be higher.
I think that the entire population and sectors of activity will have to adapt, to consider that our production costs will increase and that from time to time, perhaps, we will have some supply disruptions in such or such domain.
»
An increase in prices to be expected also for fertilizers.
Russia is a major exporter of nitrogen fertilizers, for example.
Nicolas Broutin, president of Yara France, specialist in cereal nutrition, recalls that “
Russia represents 25% of world ammonia exports.
The impacts on agricultural markets and on nitrogen fertilizer markets can be relatively substantial.
What we observe after a few days of conflict is extreme market volatility.
Of course, efforts must be intensified to ensure that these fertilizers are produced in larger volumes on European and French territory
,” he believes.
Here again stocks seem secure for this year.
But if the Ukrainian crisis persists, the 2023 harvest would become very dangerous for farmers.
Paris is preparing a resilience plan for threatened agriculture
This is also in essence what Emmanuel Macron said, who inaugurated the Salon, early this Saturday morning.
The head of state did not intend to break with tradition and this obligatory passage for any French president, especially when he is in the campaign.
But it was impossible to stay and circulate for hours in the midst of visitors – he had stayed there for twelve hours in 2020 – while the Russian army is advancing in Ukraine.
“
War is returning to Europe, and we see ourselves today in an unprecedented, serious and historic context.
»
"
This war will last
" and "
we must prepare for it
", warned the President of the Republic, his voice deep and his features drawn, a few steps from the enclosures of pigs, cows and sheep.
"
What we are going through will not be without consequences on the agricultural world
", on exports, energy prices, livestock feed, warned the Head of State, when professionals fear Moscow's response to Western sanctions.
But France is preparing for it, he promised: “
We are in the process of building a resilience plan.
“The outlines of this plan should be clarified within the week.
“
We need to equip ourselves with a food shield,
” added the boss of the FNSEA and the majority European agricultural union Copa, Christiane Lambert.
Resilience, like after the Covid.
Until the end, the five-year term of Emmanuel Macron will have been placed under the sign of crises.
To allow him to devote himself to it, Jean Castex took over to stroll through the bays.
►
To read also: Price of wheat: the war in Ukraine will have an impact in Africa too
The invasion of #Ukraine should be invited to the #Salondelagriculture in 2 days.
Why?
Sunflower oil, corn, wheat.
The 🇺🇦 was once again becoming a major agri powerhttps://t.co/THVoyEuoLK
To understand the issues in this new context > @RFI https://t.co/eO87ZnmyEM
— Geraud BosmanDelzons (@Geraud_BD) February 24, 2022
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