Summary of newsmakers from the previous day – 24. 8. 2005

Flood in North Moravia in drainage area of rivers Ostravice and Olše

As a consequence of strong rainfalls and subsoil saturation of rainfalls from the previous week a serious flood situation happened in Odra drainage. Hundred-year water was recorded afternoon on the river Stonávka in Hradiště and catched by the dam Těrlicko. Smaller affluents of the river Olše, above all Sadový brook and Ropičanka are in a direct threat. A lower course of the river Olše in profiles of Karviná, Dětmarovice, Veřňovice and Bohumín is on upward branch of the flood. Afternoon endagering is supposed in spa Darkov in Karviná. Also family houses in Dětmarovice and Veřňovice are in danger; an evacuation of inhabitants is organized here. Further also a build-up area of Petrovice u Karviné begins to be in threat; a critical flood fall will be there between 16.00 and 18.00 h.

Government approved proposal of dotation for food processors for 210 million CZK

The government approved a proposal of dotations today which should at least partially compensate a restriction of approach to the European funds for domestic food processors. The state will give about 210 million CZK for this purpose this year; furthermore, the dotation have to be approved by the EU. A spokeswoman of the administration Lucie Orgoníková said it to the ČTK. „We are pleased“, reacted a president of Prague Food chamber Jaroslav Camplík and continued, „that a need is bigger, however there will not be much time for spending the money till the end of year. The food chamber reported that due to a restricted possibility to draw European dotations enterprises lost hundreds millions. Mainly the Ministry of Industry and Trade is blame for it. It should allot most of money from the European fund to food processors but later it found out that many kinds of productions cannot be financed.

Congress: EU is most aggressive protector of farmers in the world

The European Union is the most aggressive protector of its farmers and agricultural branches in the world. It was reported by a non-party Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on base of comparison of extremely high customs duties and export subventions. However, a spokeswomean of the European Commission identified American data as obsolete because they don´t reflect a recent reform of agrarian EU policy. CBO analysts found out that the EU protects full 39 percents of its agricultural production with more than hundred-percent duties against a foreign competition. In the United State „extreme customs duties“ protect 26 percent of this production. Then the EU dominates completely in use of export subventions which are other means of farmer support and at the same time an element which also limits export possibilities of poor countries.

Hop growers already harvest - and ask for dotations

Hop gardens come back to life. Harvest of a plant, once proudly called „green gold“, started full speed. This year´s crop is by growers estimated at a level of about 6 300 tons which is almost without changes compared with the last year. However, in a longer-term viewpoint Czech hop growing experienced very substantial changes. Already at first sight it is obvious that brigade workers almost disappeared from hop gardens. „In past about one hundred and fifty thousand brigade workers participated in a campaign, now it is hardly five thousand“, confirmed Zdeněk Rosa, a secretary of the Hop Growers Union. However, this change does not annoy the growers. Hands of brigade workers were replaced with a modern technology; the harvest is mostly mechanized. Nevertheless, the branch faces a production decrease.