The president of Agros defended that the milk price paid to the producer cannot continue to fall, otherwise the farms will become unsustainable from a financial point of view and considered it necessary to get all ‘players’ at the table.
Although the price of milk paid to the producer was above the European Union (EU) average in July, the value fell in the first half of the year.
“We had been below average for ten years [da UE] and we were the lowest price for many years. What has happened is a correction of these inequalities […]. From January until now, under pressure from the international market, some reductions have taken place, which we hope will not stop there. If it drops further, farms and milk production will become almost unfeasible,” Idalino Leão, president of Agros – Union of Milk Producers Cooperatives, said in statements to Lusa.
The producer also considered it necessary to join efforts to make value acceptable and balanced throughout the value chain, underlining in this sense the importance of reactivating PARCA – Platform for Monitoring Relationships in the Food Chain. he referred to, met only once this year.
On the other hand, he recalled that the first product examined by the “National is Sustainable” Price Observatory was UHT milk and that the results of this analysis are not yet known.
Idalino Leão also mentioned that the increase that was especially noticeable at the end of last year, which was reflected in the final price, did not lead to a drop in consumption, but to a change in habits.
“A year ago, the price of milk to the consumer was much less than that of a cup of coffee and today we are not talking about very different prices. If it is at this level, I think something is wrong,” he complained .
Asked about the possibility of another increase in the price paid to the producer, Idalino Leão said that as the chain’s agent he wanted this to happen, but added that he found it difficult, at a time when news about inflation and the loss of power come from the purchase.
Thus, producers and farmers have faced the decline with “a lot of difficulties”, taking into account that they have invested in technology and the efficiency of their farms.
“Farmers have become indebted to banks, suppliers and cooperatives and over the past year have taken the opportunity to correct these imbalances. We hope this ends here or the industry will become unviable,” he concluded.
According to data from the Office of Planning, Policies and General Administration (GPP), the amount paid to individual producers increased from EUR 0.568 per kilo in January to EUR 0.513 in June, a trend also reflected in monthly prices, both on the mainland and in the Azores.
Between today and September 3, the Agros space, in Póvoa de Varzim, will host the 9th edition of AgroSemana – Feira Agrícola do Norte, an event that aims to improve the agricultural sector.
The AgroSemana program includes field visits, competitions, show cooking, tastings and competitions.
Last year the event attracted around 80,000 visitors.
Source: DN
