A long stroll between the stands intended to take the pulse of rural France and the country, in the midst of a showdown over pensions. Emmanuel Macron inaugurated this Saturday the essential Salon de l’agriculture. And swept several subjects in front of the journalists.
A “sobriety plan” on the water
In full concern around the historic drought in winter, the president was expected on announcements. This Saturday, he called for a “sobriety plan” on water: “We are going to have a plan for drought, we must use our water better, have fewer leaks. It’s the end of abundance, we have to move towards behaviors of sobriety. »
“We know that we will be confronted as we were last summer with problems of scarcity (of water): rather than organizing ourselves under duress at the last moment with conflicts of use, we must plan all that “, explained the Head of State, calling for “better harvesting of rainwater”, “to have fewer leaks in the water networks” and “better distribute the use of drinking water according to the users”, in particular by “continuing to produce and invest in hillside retention”.
Inflation
Emmanuel Macron also called on large retail groups to “make an effort on their margins” to fight against soaring food prices.
“Those who have to make an effort on their margins are the distributors”, declared the Head of State, highlighting our “quality agriculture” and “quality food has a price and a value”.
A visit to China
He also announced that he would visit China “at the beginning of April”, calling on Beijing to “help us put pressure on Russia” in order to “stop the aggression” and “build peace”.
The day after China published a document calling for peace talks and a “political solution”, he explained that this peace was “possible only if it involves a halt to Russian aggression, a withdrawal of troops and respect for the territorial sovereignty and the Ukrainian people”.
A return to contact with the French
The President of the Republic arrived at Porte de Versailles, in the south of Paris, early Saturday morning and began his visit with a meeting with fishing professionals to whom he announced the extension, until October, of the financial assistance granted to them to cope with rising fuel prices.
“70% of the meat served in our restaurants is not French” declared the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron from the Agricultural Show, calling for “better organization of the sector. »
After an express appearance at the 2022 edition, at the very start of the war in Ukraine, and a show canceled in 2021 due to Covid, the Head of State is reviving the presidential ritual of this major event, which is also popular with politicians than the public.
He will spend the whole day – nearly thirteen hours in 2020 – in contact with professionals in livestock, crops, fishing and the agri-food industry, but also with visitors who will flock from the first day.
After a first outing to meet the “French people who work early” on Tuesday at the Rungis market, Emmanuel Macron thus turns the page on several weeks of media diet against the backdrop of the pension battle and returns fully to the arena.
He began with an exchange with players in the fishing industry before kicking off the Salon, which has allowed city dwellers to meet the agricultural world every year since 1964, Porte de Versailles, in the south of Paris. .