Portugal adopts grain strategy to boost self-sufficiency

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, “the use of biotechnology is one way to enhance agricultural resilience, address climate change, pests, and diseases, and produce more food with fewer resources.” The strategy also includes risk management tools, precision farming development, and prioritizing the sustainable use of natural resources, including water, soil, and biodiversity. The strategy further focuses on strengthening sector competitiveness and sharing knowledge about supply models, management, and grain infrastructure. Additionally, it plans to establish a national agrometeorological network to optimize irrigated land distribution, actively support innovation and technology transfer, strengthen interprofessional structures, and monitor reserves to improve market transparency. Minister for the Presidency António Leitão Amaro stated at a press conference that the “Grain+ Strategy” is aimed at increasing production capacity and national grain production potential. He ...