Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin announced that the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) plan to implement long-term cooperation mechanisms in the agricultural sector and possibly conclude a collective agreement on food security. This information was reported by the Interfax agency.
"Three years ago, we reached the conclusion on the feasibility of harmonizing indicative balances of demand and supply for grains, barley, corn, sunflower, sugar, and sunflower oil. This helps to avoid shortages of these products for the population and coordinate exports beyond the Union. Using this experience, we plan to establish other long-term mechanisms that will help effectively and promptly address potential market imbalances among EAEU countries," the head of government said in an interview with "Rossiyskaya Gazeta," which was published on Tuesday.
"Consideration is being given to the initiative to conclude a separate international agreement on collective food security. It should cover not only issues of supplying finished products but also assist in the joint development of breeding and seed funds in our countries," he said.
Mishustin emphasized that the agro-industrial sector is one of the most rapidly developing areas of cooperation within the EAEU. "In the 10 years of the Union's existence, the volume of agricultural production has significantly increased. Self-sufficiency in basic food products is about 93%. We fully meet the domestic demand for grain, vegetable oil, pork, poultry, sugar, milk, and eggs," he added.
According to him, this was achieved through the complementarity of EAEU member states and coordinated actions at all levels.