Summary of newsmakers from the previous days – 13.-15.1.2006

Slovak agriculturists obtained the first EU support for corn export

After last year’s unsuccessful attempt Slovakia succeeded to obtain a grant of the European Commission for corn export. Brussels approved a first tender for export of 32 495 ton of Slovak corn in Spain. Present requests of Slovakia were unsuccessful because the European Commission refused to pay off a too higher difference between the price for which Slovak farmers sold the corn to the state and the price for which it was possible to sell the corn abroad. Corn which Slovak farmers sold to the state intervention agency for 101,31 Euro per a ton will be purchased by a Spain customer for 75,16 Euro per a ton.

Czech food producers want to fight against anonymity of foods

Customers who care from where foods, which they buy, come from, will probably got a support soon. Czech food producers and farmers decided to bring up consumers to an orientation on a domestic quality and to help them to be acquainted with a market. The Czech Food Chamber prepares a campaign which will enable to determine from where the given product comes. “A tendency to look for cheap foods strengthened again and our effort is to return consumers to quality”, said a president of the Czech Food Chamber Jaroslav Camplík during food and agricultural fair Grüne Woche (Green Week) in Berlin.

Some vegetable and fruit was cheaper in second week

In the second week of this year businessmen cheapened some kinds of vegetable and fruit. It was found out by the Czech Statistic Office in a regular investigation. For example tomatoes and paprika cheapened by more than four crowns per kilogram. Customers save at average 1,61 crowns for a kilogram of oranges comparing the last week and several hallers for bananas. On the contrary, carrot, potatoes and apples raised in the price slightly. Price of meat and other monitored food did not changed too much.

CR and Germany wanted fast exchange of information due to bird flu

The Czech Ministry of Agriculture Jan Mládek agreed with its German colleague Horst Seehofer on a faster exchange of information in a fight against bird flu. “To coordinate possible measures against bird flu far better than before”, said Mádek who had visited a significant food and agricultural fair Grüne Woche, where also Czech Republic presented itself.