Summary of newsmakers from the previous day – 9.1.2006

SZIF: There will be more data about subsidies; part of farmers does not like the publication

According to a director Jan Höck, the State Agricultural Intervention Fund is going to enlarge published information about agrarian subsidies by other data and to process them in more transparent form. The fund put already a list of recipients of subsidies on its internet pages last week which contains basic supports, but is not providing an easy survey. According to a president Agrarian Chamber Jan Veleby a part of farmers is not against the publication, however, a part of them does not like the step.

Imbalance of agrarian trade fell by 42 percent in November

The Czech Republic reported an imbalance of two milliard crown last year in November in trade with agricultural and food goods which is an improvement by 42 percents in comparison with roughly 3,5 milliard crowns in the same month the year before last year. Agrarian export increased in comparison with the last year by 32 percents to 7,7 milliard crowns; import increased by four percents to 9,7 milliard crowns. It results from data of the Ministry of Finances. The biggest share in export, 12,8 percents were in milk, eggs and honey. Supplies of these commodities abroad grew by 45 percents to almost a milliard of crowns. Beverages and spirits were almost a tenth of export and their sale to markets outside the CR increased in comparison with the last year by a quarter to 792 million crowns.

Five other Turks has bird flu

A virus of bird flu was positively tested in three people in a metropolis Ankara and in two in East-Turkish town Van. It was announced today by the Turkish Ministry of Health. Two siblings have already died of the virus H5N1 this week. An agency Anadol also reported that also five-year old boy was taken into a hospital with suspicion of bird flu in Central-Turkish Corum. A representative of the Ministry of Health Turan Buzgan said that from 28 tested samples, five results were positive. Information about cases which were found out by Ankara experts predicate that the virus proceeds to the West to European borders. The capital Ankara lies about 400 km from the biggest Turkish town Istanbul.

Chief of State Forest ends due to affair till month

The state Forest CR will have most probably a new boss roughly in a month. The exchange of present director Vladimír Blahuta was forced by an affair with non-transparent ordering forest commissions for what also the European Commission criticize the republic. The new boss of the Forest CR will be known roughly in a month; now everything is opened” the Minister of Agricultural Jan Mládek confirm to Hospodářské noviny. He negotiated with Blahuta on Friday and he has not pick up his cell phone since that time. According to resources from the ministry and forest firms, the most probable candidate for the director of Forest CR is Vít Zgarba, a present head of a private forest firm Foresta SG. “NO comment”, said Mládek. However, according to information of HN he required detailed information about him.

Source: Agris, 10.1.2006