Minister Leppä to international agriculture ministers’ meeting in Berlin
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppä will visit Berlin on 17–18 January 2020 to attend the agriculture ministers’ meeting ‘Global Forum on Food and Agriculture’ and the Grüne Woche fair. Minister Leppä will also have bilateral meetings with several agriculture ministers.
The theme for this year’s Global Forum for Food and Agriculture is food security and sustainable nutrition, including the role of international trade in promoting food security. This ministerial meeting, held every year in Berlin, brings together about 70 agriculture ministers from around the world.
“It is important to meet colleagues and discuss the global challenges faced by the food sector from different perspectives, as well as highlight the solutions to climate change that agriculture can offer,” Minister Leppä says.
Minister Leppä will also visit the Grüne Woche fair to open Finland’s country stand.
Last year Finland was the Grüne Woche Partner Country, which gave the opportunity to showcase Finland as a culinary country and tourism destination.
“Finland’s inputs last year produced an excellent outcome, both commercially and in terms of our country image. We are making good headway in these sectors, and it is again a great pleasure to be at the fair this year. Germany is one of the main destinations for Finnish food exports. There are a lot of customers in Germany who are very much interested in the products offered by the numerous highly innovative food companies we have in our country. Through the Food from Finland growth programme we are making systematic efforts to further develop our food exports,” Minister Leppä says.
Work to promote food exports has been done on a long-term basis e.g. through campaigns in retail outlets, and now Finnish food exports to Germany are growing strongly. In 2019 Germany was the third largest destination for Finnish food exports, after Sweden and Estonia. According to preliminary information published by Business Finland, exports increased by as much as 34% and the value of exports could rise up to EUR 117 million in 2019.
The Food from Finland growth programme of Business Finland that aims to promote Finnish food exports has been co-financed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.
This year’s Grüne Woche Partner Country is Croatia, which took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU from Finland in the beginning of the year.
Inquiries at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry:
Satu Haapaniemi, Special Adviser to the Minister, +358 50 400 5193, satu.haapaniemi(at)mmm.fi
More information on Business Finland campaigns in Germany:
Esa Wrang, Head of Industry, Food from Finland Programme, Business Finland, +358 400 243076 esa.wrang@businessfinland.fi
Lili Lehtovuori, Senior Advisor, Food from Finland, Business Finland, lili.lehtovuori(at)businessfinland.fi, +43 664 254 5289
