Norway Begins Stockpiling Grain

The Norwegian government has announced its plan to stockpile grain, citing the ongoing conflict in Europe and the impacts of climate change as key factors necessitating this decision.

Norway aims to store 30,000 tons of grain, primarily wheat, at various facilities throughout the country. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food emphasized that “the building up of a contingency stock of food grains is about being prepared for the unthinkable.”

The Norwegian government intends to continue its grain stockpiling efforts through 2029, with a target of reaching 82,500 tons by the end of the decade. This amount would be sufficient to sustain the nation’s population of 5.6 million for approximately three months.

Grain storage in Norway had last been implemented in the 1950s, before the government closed its storage facilities in 2003, deeming them unnecessary. However, in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing challenges posed by climate change on global grain production, Norway is reviving this program.

Additionally, Norway is home to the Global Seed Vault in the Svalbard region, located around 800 miles from the North Pole. Since its establishment in 2008, nearly one million samples of grain seeds have been deposited in the vault by agricultural organizations and governments worldwide as a safeguard against human-induced or natural disasters.

Experts in commodities have cautioned that government-led grain stockpiling efforts, such as those for wheat, might worsen supply shortages and contribute to rising prices.