Brussels - The European Commission will release around EUR 500 million in reserves to help the most affected farmers, with Slovenia entitled to EUR 1.7 million, Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek said on Monday in Brussels, where EU agriculture ministers are discussing measures to stabilise the EU food sector amid the war in Ukraine.

The Commission will act on Article 219 of the regulation on a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products, said the minister as he spoke to the press during the EU ministerial.

The funds have to be paid out by 30 September, explained the minister of agriculture, forestry and food.

Brussels is also preparing some other measures, including a state aid framework for compensations for costs stemming from higher prices of energy, fertilisers and seeds.

Slovenia has already taken such a measure; it will earmark EUR 32 million for agriculture and EUR 1 million for beekeepers, said Podgoršek.

The Commission has also prepared a proposal of temporary exceptions within the CAP, a measure which concerns optimising all land to grow food, he said, adding these measures could be adopted in a few weeks' time.

"What is key is that with all these measures we are increasing food safety resilience. This means we want to stabilise food growing in the long run, with oleiferous plants and protein components being the biggest challenges."

Pursuing the same goal, the Slovenian Agriculture Ministry is working on other measures to stabilise food production, such as guidelines for use of fertilisers and fodder.

As some people in Slovenia are rushing to shops to stock on food, Podgoršek asserted Slovenia was food-safe. Although logistical problems have resulted in some short-term shortages of some foodstuffs, there is enough food, he stressed.