Czechia: new Minister of Agriculture
On January 3, 2022, mr Zdenek Nekula was appointed as Minister of Agriculture in Czechia in the new cabinet of Prime Minister Petr Fialia.
"Basic priorities? Reducing pesticides, all for a more diverse and healthy landscape and food, emphasis on organic farming and organic food quality, increasing food self-sufficiency, forests can no longer be a wood factory, the use of modern technologies in agriculture (precision farming)."
With a short delay, due to tested positive before on Covid, on January 3, mr Zdenek Nekula was appointed as the new Minister of Agriculture in Czechia. Mr Nekula is part of the new cabinet under Prime Minister Petr Fiala who was sworn in on November 28, 2021.
- mr Zdenek Nekula is a member of the party KDU-CSL, the Christian Democrats. In the European Parliament this party is member of the European People's Party group.
- Mr Zdenek Nekula is a 51-year-old graduate of the University of Agriculture in Brno (now Mendel University), where he studied economics at the Faculty of Business & Economics from 1988 to 1992.
- Born in the village of Těšetice in the Znojemskr region (winemaking region in the south, close to Austrian border), Nekula has previous experience in the banking & business/marketing sectors, including with the focus on financing of farmers.
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As a mayor in his region he was dedicated to the expansion of public greenery, the planting of alleys and restoration of field roads.
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In an interview he mentioned the following priorities: he wants to protects the soils, water and colorful landscape. Quality food is also a priority for him. “It is essential for us to support steps that reduce pesticides and fertilizers. We need to move towards a healthy landscape and therefore healthy food. We place great emphasis on organic farming and organic food. But we must move towards sustainability sensibly and gradually. Farmers themselves must not pay for organic farming” said Nekula. “In the long run, we have been committed to creating favorable conditions for small and medium-sized farmers. In addition, self-sufficiency and food security are important."
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Nekula previously said his priority, if he became minister, is the use of modern technologies in agriculture, such as the use of data from sensors in soil and of meteorological data in online systems, which consequently apply the correct amount of fertilizers or pesticides.
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Minister Nekula announced to rewrite the National Strategic Plan (NSP), which was due to be submitted to the European Commission before January 1st. The National Strategic Plan is the implementation of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) which will need to be implemented in 2023.
- In this framework the Minister announced that part of the NSP will be to limit the sown area of one crop in highly erosively endangered areas to 10 hectares.
- Currently the NSP is under consultation after which it will be submitted to the European Commission for review.