Despite the fact that the Cabinet of Ministers has declared a state of emergency in agriculture, the Riga City Council, contrary to the usual practice so far, has rejected the request of the Farmers’ Saeima to allow heavy transport carrying grain and rapeseed to the Port of Riga to move along certain routes around the clock. Officials performing various control functions have also not heeded the call of the President of the State not to disturb farmers at this time with their presence.
The Farmers’ Saeima asked for the traffic restrictions to be lifted from 22 July to 1 November. The chairman of the organization’s board, Juris Lazdiņš, reacted sharply to this: “If farmers are not needed by the Freeport of Riga, then apparently we have to think about redirecting cargo to other ports in Latvia.” Asked whether the council’s decision can be appealed, he replied: “In theory it is possible to appeal, but it is pointless, because Riga is detached from reality.”
The Riga municipality rejected the farmers’ request, citing construction works and traffic restrictions in the city. Farmers point out that in previous years the council has been able to support farmers and, with temporary exceptions, has ensured the possibility to deliver the harvested crops to the port also outside the specified time restrictions.
“We are surprised by such a decision of the Riga City Council. Agriculture is currently facing the biggest crisis in recent years. Fields in Latvia are sinking in water, harvesting is difficult, and the bad weather will have a negative impact on both the volume and the quality. At a time when the support of any institution is vitally important, the leadership of our country’s capital city has taken a stand against farmers and refused to provide the help that we have always received from previous council administrations at this time of year. We respect the needs of the city, but we also expect respect for the country’s most strategically important sector – agriculture,” complains J. Lazdiņš.
The association also points out that farmers respect the restrictive road signs in the Port of Riga that apply to trucks. Unfortunately, the problem is caused by additional signs that prohibit entry to the port for all vehicles, including those that deliver products to the port at specific times in the morning and evening.
J. Lazdiņš explains that at present the Latvian farmer is literally “chasing” minutes to get the harvest in, and many farms are on the brink of survival. Transport is forced to wait outside Riga, creating very serious problems with planning, unnecessary downtime and additional costs. For example, a ship’s idle time in port costs 20 thousand euros.
Moreover, the Riga municipality is not the only one putting obstacles in the way of harvesting. “Now many institution employees are returning from vacations and are calling farmers, saying they plan to carry out inspections. When we are working 16 hours a day, we have no time for any inspections. This year is proof that there is no understanding of this,” says J. Lazdiņš.
On Wednesday afternoon, 27 August, the Riga City Council issued a statement that the Deputy Chair of the municipality, Māris Sprindžuks (United List), will convene a meeting next week with the Riga City Executive Director Jānis Lange, representatives of the Department of Outdoor Space and Mobility, representatives of the Farmers’ Saeima and the CEO of the Freeport of Riga, Ansis Zeltiņš. The meeting will seek a solution to satisfy the needs of the farmers.
The call not to disturb farmers during the harvest period with various inspections, made while visiting farmers in Latgale affected by floods and heavy rains, came from the President of the State, Edgars Rinkēvičs. “One thing, of course, is the weather, which we cannot influence, but another thing [..] is that, firstly, we can, perhaps even radically, refrain from disturbing farmers at this time. Not to disturb farmers with various inspections, to be more tolerant, to meet them halfway,” said the President.
“What the President said has not worked. Not too often, but sometimes he says something very sensible and precise, but this is not working,” says the chairman of the Farmers’ Saeima.
He reveals that there had been a plan to organize a shadowing day for controlling officials at farmers’ holdings, but it failed. “Let’s ‘shadow’ those farmers for one or two days, and then we will understand what they do and why they are dissatisfied with inspections during the harvest,” says J. Lazdiņš.
Originally published at https://inc-baltics.com/rigas-dome-kave-razas-nogadi-osta-ieredni-nenem-vera-ari-valsts-prezidenta-aicinajumu/
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