Riga mayor instructs municipality to ensure that farmers are able to deliver their harvest to Riga Port

RIGA - Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs (Progressives) has instructed the municipality to ensure that, starting from September 3, farmers are able to deliver their harvest to Riga Port.

"I believe that the decision made by the Spatial Planning and Mobility Department was a mistake. Therefore I have instructed the municipality to ensure that, effective September 3, grain can be transported to Riga Port 24 hours a day, so that farmers are not delayed in delivering their harvest," the mayor said in a post to Twitter.

Kleinbergs said that he had discussed the current situation with representatives from Farmers' Parliament.

Farmers' Parliament earlier this week criticized Riga City Council's decision not to allow trucks carrying grain and rapeseed to access the port along designated routes 24/7.

At a time the agricultural sector is experiencing a severe crisis, the municipality has rejected its request to allow such transport to reach the port at all hours during the harvest season from July 22 to November 1, said the Farmers' Parliament.

Riga City Council said that this year the municipality could not grant permission for grain trucks to pass through the city center due to extensive roadworks that had resulted in significant traffic restrictions.

As reported, at an extraordinary meeting on August 5, the government declared a state of emergency in agriculture in the entire territory of Latvia until November 4, 2025 in order to overcome damage done by frosts, rains and floods this year.