On Thursday morning, the president of the Chamber of Agriculture joined our colleagues on RTL Radio to discuss ongoing challenges in the sector.
At the beginning of the interview, Feyder explained that there is an urgent need for discussion in the sector and therefore argued in favour of the agricultural summit recently proposed by the Farmers' Alliance. However, he also underlined that during such a meeting, government representatives have to be willing to address the roots of problems if any real progress is to be made.
In a dire forecast, experts in the sector predict that the full magnitude of inflation will only become apparent over the course of the coming months.
Feyder provided insight into the price struggles faced in the sector as producers are currently unable to meet the demand due to inflation and the drought. "Our prices may be high, but we also have expensive bills to pay", said Feyder, further describing the situation as unprecedented.
He also expressed concern over the ongoing drought. Four out of the five last seasons were too dry, which he believes to be caused by climate change. He therefore demands swift action from the government and financial support in case matters get worse.
Thus far, the government tends to refer agricultural producers to insurance companies in the case of losses. However, insurance policies are only meant to cover exceptional situations, not the ongoing problems, said Feyder.
Over the past 25 years, Luxembourg has lost half of its agricultural producers. The current situation puts many more at risk of facing bankruptcy, warned Feyder.
