Norway is investing heavily in grain contingency and has chosen Lantmännen Cerealia as one of its partners. A first contract for 3000 tonnes of grain has been signed. The agreement extends for 25 years and is a key component of Norway's long-term contingency plan.
Lantmännen Cerealia Norway has agreed with the Norwegian government to store 3000 tonnes of grain on behalf of the state. This first allocation of grain contingency marks an important effort to ensure Norway's long-term food preparedness.
"We are proudly making our resources in Norway available, contributing to the nation's food preparedness. We highly appreciate the long-term trust we have received from the Norwegian government. Ensuring access to food is central in all kinds of crisis situations, and we are therefore pleased that the government of Norway has made this key issue a priority," says Karen Huffman, Managing Director Norway at Lantmännen Cerealia.
Grain contingency is a topical issue in Norway since a report from Totalberedskaps-kommisjonen came out last year, highlighting the excessively low degree of self-sufficiency in food. One of the recommendations was to increase the preparedness of cereals as soon as possible, to ensure sufficient reserves in times of uncertain geo-political environment and climate change. The Directorate of Agriculture has acted quickly and now the first of several steps is being implemented to have three months of preparedness for food wheat by 2029, which corresponds to just over 80,000 tonnes of grain. Lantmännen Cerealia is one of four companies selected as a partner in the first phase.
"We are proud to be able to contribute to strengthening Norway's food preparedness; we have already been an active player on this matter in Finland. As for Sweden, there is a need to start making decisions and show decisiveness to build up Swedish food preparedness. We stand prepared to contribute with our knowledge and capacity," says Per Arfvidsson, Executive Vice President and CTO at Lantmännen.
The agreement between Lantmännen Cerealia and the Norwegian Directorate of Agriculture for grain storage extends for 25 years, which guarantees long-term stability and security of the country's food reserves. It is an important step in ensuring that Norway is prepared for any future crises.
For more information, please contact:
Emelie Bontesse de Filippis, Head of Communication, Lantmännen Cerealia
Phone: +46 10 556 98 21
E-mail: emelie.bontesse@lantmannen.com
Lantmännen’s Press Service
Phone: +46 10 556 88 00
E-mail: press@lantmannen.com