The First Vice President and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño, has assured that there is “no risk” of lack of supply of cereals O fertilizers in Spain due to the conflict in Ukraine, although he has warned of the direct impact of the war in terms of prices.
“Spain is one of the countries that has the most autonomy in the field of fertilizers, but it is clear that these tensions in international markets have a direct impact in terms of prices,” explained the vice president in statements to the media. communication, after closing the act ‘Legacy to the Letter Box‘, organized by the Cervantes Institute on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
Thus, the Government’s economic minister has confirmed that the increase in prices due to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia is the channel for “more direct” impact in the case of Spain in relation to the agri-food sector.
In this sense, Calviño has assured that the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, is in constant contact with European partners and following the situation of the international markets for agri-food products, not only from the grain perspective but also from the evolution of fertilizer prices, which are “very important” for the sector.
Planas himself has stressed that food supply is guaranteed in a “complex” context marked by rising prices, drought and the invasion of Ukraine, although he has advocated achieving food autonomy as Europeans and managing to maintain it for the future.
“We are witnessing a complex moment that derives from many circumstances such as the increase in prices due to the departure of Covid-19, the drought and the invasion of Ukraine, with important economic consequences from a food point of view,” said the Minister of Agriculture during the opening of the IV feria Meat Attraction.
In this sense, in order to deal with this situation at a European level, as he pointed out, attempts are being made articulate all answers to deal with rising energy prices and the cost of inputs, in particular feed and animal feed.
“It is an exceptional moment and the measures have to be necessarily exceptional“Planas underlined.
In this sense, he explained that Spain, together with the French presidency of the European Union, has carried out initiatives to convince the rest of the community countries and the European Commission itself that “in an exceptional situation, we must adopt exceptional measures“.
For this reason, the Minister of Agriculture has indicated that this need for corn import coming from Ukraine and now will have to come from other destinations, including Argentina or the United States.
He has also referred to the need to increase the productive capacity of the European Union, particularly corn, which can alleviate the absence of imports from the conflict zone.