For the first time in 20 years, Norway plans to start storing grain to help ensure national food supplies. The government believes pandemic, war in Europe and climate change have made it necessary to improve preparedness for shortages.
“Food preparedness improves security,” claims Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, who also heads the Center Party. Its constituency is largely made up of voters in rural districts and Vedum runs a farm himself.
He and his party’s new agriculture minister, Geir Pollestad, announced that 15,000 tons of grain will be put into storage silos next year, and built up annually to ensure three months’ worth of grain consumption for the entire country by 2028-2029.
This year’s grain crops have been damaged by drought earlier this summer and then by heavy rains in August. Norway will continue to need grain imports, but Vedum and Pollestad claim grain storage can make the country less reliant on imports and help keep prices down.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
