Summary of newsmakers of the previous day – 2. 7. 2007

Operational program Environment starts

The State Fund of Environment CR publishes a first appeal for submitting an application for subsidies in frame of the Operational Program Environment. Applicants for subsidies will experience accelerated refunding of costs, enlargement of recognizable expenditures and simpler administrative resulting from experience from the Operational program Infrastructure. The ministry of Environment (MŽP) and the State Fund of Environment (SFŽP) opened today selected areas of the Operational program Environment, the second biggest operational program of the Czech Republic, for period 2007 – 2013. The program gathers 18,4 % from 26,96 billion Euro determined from the Structural Funds of EU for the Czech Republic. In total OPŽP will offer over 5,2 billion Euro, i.e. c. 150 billion CZK.

Fruit harvest will be the lowest in several last years

A lack of fruit can be estimated on our market this year. A low harvest will be not only in the Czech Republic but also in neighbouring Poland from where CR imports this commodity. What is the cause? In time when trees flower, so at the end of April, as much as eight-degree frost came which damaged a big part of the crop. Till that time growers had been satisfied; the season had looked very promising. A month after that numerous hail-storms came which destroyed other part of crop. By hail-damaged fruits can be used in fact only for production of stum. “So, only third crop can be expected; in all kinds of fruit”, a fruit-grower František Vyšata stated.

Competition Czech bio-food of year announced

With aim to support excellent quality in all supply chain in the field of bio-foods, and further to propagate the most quality bio-foods on Czech market, already the 6th year of competition Czech bio-food of the year 2007 has been announced today. The competition, for the first time together with Association of Ecological Farmers PRO-BIO is announced by the Food-Industry Chamber of the Czech Republic. “Consumption of bio-foods in the Czech Republic grows fast but still most of them come from export. The competition should help to increase awareness of quality and advantages of bio-foods and to increase popularity of bio-foods of Czech origin among consumers”, Miroslav Kobrna, a director of Food-Industry Chamber CR, emphasized.

Company Easter Sugar will start by liquidation of sugar refineries

Company Eastern Sugar CR will start demolition of its sugar refineries in Hrochův Týnec on region Chrudim, Němčice nad Hanou on region Prostějov, and in Kojetín in region Přerov in following days. The company has to realize the liquidation because the State Agricultural Intervention Fund (SZIF) dismissed a petition of the firm to adjust restructuring plan which would enable the company to sell sugar refineries. The information has been published by ČTK. The company Easter Sugar CR announced last year in autumn closure of sugar refineries and it returns its quota for sugar production to European Union. It will get money for it from EU. The firm undertook voluntarily in the restructuring plan that it will liquidate the sugar refineries. According to expression of Eastern Sugar the company asked for a change of the program because there were three persons interested purchase of all three premises. They wanted to use the plant for further enterprise and to maintain employment in them.