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LITHUANIAN AGRIBUSINESS ASSOCIATION PROJECT
Background
Following discussions with President Valdas Adamkus and Ambassador John
Tefft on September 10, ABC president Nicholas Hollis visited Lithuania
to explore the feasibility of establishing a counterpart agribusiness
association in accordance with the U.S.-Lithuanian Working Group
protocol of May 2000, signed by Alan Larson (Undersecretary of State for
Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs) and Algirdas Rimkunas
(Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister).
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LITHUANIAN
CORNUCOPIA
-- Surrounded
by world-renowned products from Lithuania’s bountiful agro-food
system, ABC president Nicholas Hollis (center) is greeted by
Minister of Agriculture, Jeronimas Kraujelis (right), and State
Secretary Alfonsas Sigitas Tamosiunas (left) in the food exhibition
hall of the Ministry in Vilnius.
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Lithuania: A Profile
Lithuania is a small country
with rich history and strong agricultural tradition. With its port of
Klaipeda as a window on the Baltic, Lithuania is well-situated to
participate in an expanding European Union and a resurgent Russian
economy, as well as to strengthen its traditional Baltic/Hanseatic
links. Since gaining its independence from the former USSR a decade ago,
Lithuania’s economic revitalization has been progressing steadily.
Across the many sub-sectors of the agricultural food system, however,
progress has been inconsistent and spotty.
During the Lithuania visit (October 14-November 7) initial meetings
and presentations -- in key cities and countryside villages alike --
revealed enthusiastic support for the model counterpart agribusiness
association. As a result, an ad hoc steering committee has formed, and
participation in LT/ABC is growing (see attached enrollment
form). The
support list includes former ranking government officials,
entrepreneurs, farmer groups, processors, ag input suppliers,
academic/research institutions, pilot farms, and many others reflecting
a broad cross-section of ag/food sectors and geographical locations.
Discussions with Polish agricultural experts and PL/ABC leadership in
Warsaw, Bydgoszcz, and Krakow (November 8-10) revealed considerable
interest in working with ABC in the Lithuanian project. Entrepreneurs in
both countries see benefits of expanding trade/investment links in the
ag/food sector. Both countries suffer similar problems in their
agricultural transitions and effort to join the EU. Visits to Lithuania’s
Baltic neighbors, Latvia and Estonia, revealed similar interest (Note:
AER participated in a conference on agricultural organization in Tartu
(June 1991).
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COUNTRYSIDE
MEETINGS --
coordinated by the Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture with local
agricultural leaders in villages and cities around the country
enabled ABC to gather first-hand impressions
of Lithuania’s agriculture and initiate exchanges which will be
useful in developing an indigenous Lithuanian Agribusiness
Association (LAA). The counterpart association project has
received considerable support and favorable media attention. Once
formed, it is anticipated the LAA will
benefit with trade/investment information/contacts drawn from
links with the network (including Polish Agribusiness
Association)
as well strengthened cross-sectoral dialogue within the country’s
agro-food system.
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AGRO-BALT
EXHIBITION -- ABC President, Nicholas Hollis (left), joins US
Ambassador John Tefft at Ohio booth in Vilnius. Also pictured are
Ingrid Bublys and Jonas Kutra. Hollis addressed the regional
conference as part of the ongoing LT/ABC project at the invitation
of Lithuania's Agriculture Minister J. Kraujelis (see
publications).
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