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EU and Uzbekistan have room to expand cooperation in agriculture – European Commissioner
EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski visited Uzbekistan on September 5-6 to participate in the international forum "Landlocked Developing Countries: Food Security and Sustainable Development Goals". In an interview with Gazeta.uz, the Commissioner spoke about cooperation between the EU and Uzbekistan in agriculture, global challenges in food supply and the difficulties of balancing economic benefits and environmental sustainability in the agricultural sector.
— This is your first time in Uzbekistan. Please tell us about the purpose of your visit.
— First of all, I would like to congratulate the government on organizing this very important conference on food security. This is a huge challenge in the current situation, a global challenge. We need to strengthen cooperation to ensure food security for a growing population. For me, this is a very important visit to see how Uzbekistan is increasing food production for a growing population. This is a very interesting experience. Once again, I repeat that we need to strengthen cooperation in the field of food security at the global level.
— What is the interest of the European Union in the agricultural sector of Uzbekistan? What areas are a priority for you? And why?
— Uzbekistan is a large country with a growing population. Uzbekistan and the Central Asian region as a whole is a region with natural potential for increasing agricultural production. The issue [that is] first of all is irrigation and water management. And this is very important for the exchange of experience. We have a big problem in the European Union. In recent years, we have had a drought. This is one of the biggest problems for our farmers. Uzbekistan has very interesting experience and many achievements in the field of irrigation systems, water management. We can exchange experiences. We need to organize cooperation at the level of experts, scientists. This is beneficial for both the European Union and Uzbekistan.
Of course, the situation is different on different continents, in different regions and countries. But I think the main challenges are the same all over the world. At the conference, I said that we need to apply the “four S’s approach” (security, stability, sustainability and solidarity — ed.): security, stability, sustainability and solidarity.
Security. This is the task of ensuring food security for a growing population, because our land area is limited. Food security is a global challenge.
Stability for farmers. Destabilization of the world market is very dangerous for agriculture. One example is the destabilization after the Russian aggression against Ukraine. We need to support farmers. The European Union has a common agricultural policy. Our farmers receive subsidies for environmental and climate protection.
And this is the next challenge — sustainability. Agriculture is not an industry. Agricultural land is not a factory. Animals are not machines. We must treat agriculture as a special sector. We must make agriculture more environmentally friendly, more climate-friendly. The role of small farms is very important for sustainable development. We need small farmers. I was told that the President of Uzbekistan has introduced a special land program for small plots of land, for young farmers. It is very important to create a system in which small farms can exist, develop, participate in these efforts to ensure food security.
Solidarity. We need global solidarity, cooperation, open trade.
There are three aspects of security that are the most important: defense security, energy security and food security. There are different approaches to defense security, different alliances, countries have their own interests. Energy security. There are different energy resources, different systems, different interests of countries.
But in food security, we have the same global interest. And we need to solve global problems in the spirit of solidarity.
- How to ensure food security in unstable regions?
- In recent years, we have had a very serious experience. First, there was the Covid pandemic - a global problem that negatively affected food security. We saw what happened, the supply chain was interrupted. In some regions, there was a risk of food shortages.
In the European Union, we solved problems together. During the crisis, there was no food shortage. This is the success of our farmers, a great achievement…
What are the similar problems around the world? What is the risk to stability? For example, young farmers and the situation of young farmers. Young people do not like being farmers - this is a global problem all over the world. We are seeing this trend. It is difficult to encourage young people to continue their family traditions of agriculture, farming. We need to find a solution to encourage young people to be farmers. It is not only a question of income from agriculture. It is also a question of living conditions in rural areas. Many people want to become farmers, but they are concerned about how to live in rural areas. What is the population? What are the difficulties? No access to utilities, health care, culture, etc. It is a complex of problems, not only the economic situation in agriculture, but also the situation in rural areas. This is why the European Union has the Common Agricultural Policy. It consists of two parts. The first is direct payments to farmers, support for agricultural methods. The second is the Rural Development Fund. We support the development of rural areas. Modernization of infrastructure, etc. Now we are developing the Common Agricultural Policy for the next seven years. — How much money has the EU invested in agricultural projects in Uzbekistan, including grant aid? What does the EU expect in return?
— There is a programme to support agriculture in Uzbekistan, it is about 20 million euros. But there is room to expand this cooperation… Uzbekistan expects to strengthen our cooperation. My mandate is coming to an end in November this year. But my proposal, my recommendation to the future commission will be to strengthen cooperation with Uzbekistan, because it is a very important country in an important strategic region of the world.
For Uzbekistan, the issue of food security is very important. The population growth in Uzbekistan is 1 million people per year. It is a very dynamic society. In Europe, we are faced with the problem that in many countries, including my home country, Poland, the population is declining. In Uzbekistan, there is a [positive] population dynamics. This is a very positive process, but it creates certain difficulties. We need to produce more food for the growing population. I think this is a very important area for future cooperation. In addition, in trade relations between Uzbekistan and the European Union, there is a huge space to increase trade exchange.
— Many EU grants are aimed at modernizing educational institutions in Uzbekistan specializing in agriculture and water resources. You also organize student debates. How important are knowledge and education for developing a smarter and more sustainable agricultural sector?
— Agriculture is now a very difficult profession and a very difficult job. I grew up in a farming family in Poland. When I was a young man, I knew how to do everything in agriculture. At that time, all the work was simpler. Now it is much, much more difficult. Farmers must be specialists not only in agriculture, but also in veterinary medicine, they must be economists, they must be lawyers, because the legal environment is sometimes complex. Education, qualifications and advisory support for farmers are very important, especially in our relations with Uzbekistan.
— Cotton and its derivatives (textiles, raw materials, oil) are an important part of the economy of Uzbekistan. Cotton growing creates jobs, but at the same time has a negative impact on the ecology of the country. How does the EU balance between economic benefits and environmental sustainability in agriculture?
- I know how important cotton production is for Uzbekistan. We must find a balance between economic needs to increase production, make agriculture more efficient, sometimes more productive, but on the other hand, avoid negative consequences for the environment. It is not easy. It is difficult, but possible. For example, how we solve this problem in Europe. There is a special system that has been introduced in recent years within the framework of the current common agricultural policy. Farmers who voluntarily implement good agricultural practices, for example, use natural fertilizers, receive additional financial support for these good environmental practices. We need to stimulate, motivate farmers [to switch] to more environmentally friendly [farming] methods. Incentives are not coercion. This is the principle of the European Union.
- What other methods of sustainable agriculture are there?
For example, ecological organic production. There are many farms, especially small ones, which, as a rule, have no chance in competition with large, large-scale farms. But in organic production they have a chance because they have natural conditions to be organic, lower production costs. There is a growing demand for organic food in the world. I think that Uzbekistan and other countries in the Central Asian region have a chance to produce their own organic food and export it to other countries, including Europe.
- How important is Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO for the country's agriculture? Can it help reduce the environmental damage caused by agriculture?
- This is a very positive direction of Uzbekistan's policy. The World Trade Organization is an organization that supports international trade, which has defined the basic rules of equal treatment. For example, subsidies exist everywhere in the world, including agricultural production subsidy systems. But it is very important to follow the rules: supporting farmers does not mean direct support for increasing production, because this is unfair competition. We support farmers, their efforts, but the support system should not stimulate increased production, especially for export. This is a very delicate issue. But I said that we need solidarity in our approach to the future of agriculture. The WTO system is a symbol of solidarity that we are establishing, common rules for better cooperation at the international level in the field of international trade. A very important and correct decision of the government, and I think it will help Uzbekistan increase food exports.
Interviewed by Parvina Ayubova
