Financial Services, Foodstuff, Good for Business, Latvia, Markets and Companies

The agreement was signed by Defense Minister Raimonds Bergmanis (Greens/Farmers), Agriculture Minister Janis Duklavs (Greens/Farmers), Edgars Treibergs, who is the board chairman of the Council for Cooperation of the Agriculturalist Organizations, and Inara Sure, the council chairwoman of the Latvian Federation of Food Companies.

The parties to the agreement will hold consultations among themselves about the defense sector's needs regarding food supplies and possibilities of the companies that are members of the said business associations to meet those needs.

The defense minister said the purpose to the agreement was to increase the supply of products by local farming businesses and food producers to the Latvian army.

The National Armed Forces Development Plan in the coming years was approved on November 29 and supplying the Latvian army with locally-grown and locally-made products is part of this plan, Bergmanis said.

"Hungry soldiers cannot fight well. Moreover, next year a very large number of allied soldiers will come to Latvia and they will also need food and many other products made by our farmers and food companies," he said.