Latvia Ministry of Agriculture

Introduction: After the independence of Latvia The Ministry of Agriculture was re-established on the 1st of August, 1993. By affirming the regulations of the Ministry of Agriculture new objectives and functions were set as well as the new structure of the ministry was approved. All employees of the former Agro-producing committee were suspended and the Ministry of Agriculture was made anew regarding the new tasks. The following functions were set completely anew:

coordinate the privatisation process;
develop draft laws and draft plans of other normative regulations;
promote the market with foreign entrepreneurs, etc.
As this was a transition period to a European type ministry, the former functions were also partly kept. For example, managing the resources of crop and animal production as well as estimation of the supplement of this production. Ministry structure kept the divisions of crop, animal production and mechanization.

The next biggest reorganization of the management of agriculture took place in February 1997 when the new structure was affirmed. The task of the new structure was to approximate the functions of the Ministry of Agriculture to the specific requirements of the period. The following departments were established:

Agricultural Strategies and Cooperation Department;
Production Quality Management Department;
Market Politics Department;
State Property Accounting and Preserving Department.
The names themselves of the above mentioned departments represent the new functions of the ministry, which best correspond to the requirements of market economy.

The last reorganization in the Ministry of Agriculture took place in the beginning of the year 2000, when the Rural Support Service was formed and the term of region was given to the structures of the Rural Support Service. The current structure of the Ministry of Agriculture can be viewed in the homepage of the Ministry of Agriculture.