Belarusian propaganda about Latvian grain contradicts the statistics
A former member of the European Parliament claimed on Belarusian state television that Latvian farmers cannot work their fields and that their grain has no buyers. Statistics show the opposite: farmland is growing, harvests reach millions of tonnes, and grain is sold abroad.
Belarusian state television has aired a claim that Latvian farmers have been unable to work their fields for 30 years and that the grain they grow has no buyers in Europe. The statement was made by Andrejs Mamikins, a former member of the European Parliament. Such claims matter because they shape perceptions of Latvia's agriculture and are spread through state media in a neighbouring country.
The statistics tell a different story. The area of land used for agriculture in Latvia has increased rather than shrunk. Grain harvests reach millions of tonnes. Grain grown in Latvia is also sold abroad, which means it is in demand on export markets.
These facts are set out in more detail in "Varam paskaidrot" ("We Can Explain"), an explainer feature from the Latvian public broadcaster LSM that analyses current issues in plain language and this time rebuts what was said on Belarusian television.
