Summary of newspaper of the previous day – 25.1.2012

Agrofert´s takings increased to record 183 bil. Last year

Non-consolidated takings of the group Agrofert Holding doing business in agriculture, food, chemical, and forestry industry increased according to preliminary results by24.5 percents to record 182.5 billion crowns last year. The firm achieved the result thanks to continuing acquisitions and favourable commodity prices. Andrej Babiš, the company´s owner said it to ČTK  in an interview. Agrofert Holding continued in expansion in the past year when it bought for example the biggest domestic bakeries United Bakeries, the meat processing plant Procházka Holding and an important meat and live animals businessman Animalco.

Senate will solve sale of state land or restitution claims

Amendments about sale of state land and about proceeding of non-settled restitution claims to inheritors should be negotiated by the Senate at a meeting starting today. According to recommendation of its agricultural committee it should adjust both the norms. The amendment about sale of state land should ensure preferential proceeding of agricultural parcels to farmers who already manage there. The committee suggested including a provision in the amendment according to which new owners could transfer parcels to firms whose members they are.

Land Fund earned almost one billion last year

According to preliminary economic results, a profit of the Land Fund reached a sum 900 million crowns over the last year. A spokeswoman of the Land Fund Monika Machtová stated it. According to the spokeswoman, the last year´s sum represents the third best operating result of the Fund since 2000 and the best after 2008 where economies of all states were affected by an economic recession. “We achieved the surplus reaching the amount of almost one billion not only thanks to high incomes, which are in the fact higher by more than 700 million than the original presumption, but mainly thanks to significant reduction in expenditures”, Radim Zika, a director of Land Fund, stated.

Cages for hens for billions

Exchange of cages for laying hens according to EU rules will cost European breeders approximately 2.8 billion CZK. Original estimations amounted to 1.6 billion. Czech poultry breeders have changed and reconstructed 80 percents of cages to the beginning of this year. The remaining fifth should be replaced in the first half of this year. Thereby, Czech poultry breeders have satisfied Union requirements. Czech hens have new, so called enriched cages. None laying hens are kept in non-enriched cages in the Czech Republic now. However, the EU instruction was not met by 15 other member states.