Latvia must secure local food supply for crises, farming council chief warns

Guntis Gūtmanis, chairman of the board of the Agricultural Organizations Cooperation Council, has warned that Latvia’s reliance on global food supplies leaves it vulnerable to sudden disruptions. Speaking on TV24’s program “National Interests Club”, he said that supermarket shelves are normally full of products from around the world, but one problem can quickly break the familiar supply chain.

He recalled the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when borders closed within a single day and goods could no longer be brought in. Before that, it was common to assume that food should be produced where it is cheaper and could be imported from anywhere if needed. The pandemic shook that belief.

In his view, planning for national food security in a crisis requires more than just reserves of finished products. The entire chain – production, processing and delivery – must be ready to operate. The system needs to work not just for a few days, but for months or longer, so weak links should be identified in advance.

Gūtmanis stressed that local food production is not only a matter of choosing Latvian products on the shelf. In a crisis, it becomes the state’s ability to feed people even when normal foreign supplies fail. The more production, processing and distribution capacity remains in Latvia, the less the country depends on external supply routes.

He also cited Ukraine’s wartime experience. Discussions with Ukrainian officials have shown which parts of the food supply chain become particularly vulnerable in extreme conditions. Logistics is among the most critical, he said, because even if food is produced, it must be transported to where it is needed.

According to Gūtmanis, Latvia still has homework to do in this field. Work on making the food supply system crisis-ready continues, but some details cannot be publicly discussed for security reasons.