Summary of newsmakers of the previous day – 20.2.2008

Third round of applications for subsidies from Rural Development Plan starts

Applicants can submit projects for foundation, development and modernization of agricultural enterprises, a start of enterprise of young farmers, and a diversification of activities of non-agricultural character till a half of March. Preferential criteria which will be applied in evaluation of the projects were published today by the Ministry of Agriculture on its web sites.

Kofola bought Slovakian trademark Vinea

The company Kofola announced that it bought a trademark Vinea whose present owner was a company Vitis Pezinok, the biggest wine producer in Slovakia. Both beverage firms agreed on this transaction at the end of 2007 and the contract was closed by letter on the 31st January this year. “Information that the trademark Vinea is for sale we as an important producer of non-alcoholic beverages obtained approximatelly a year ago. “On base of our pieces of knowledge of the non-alco beverage market, we see a considerable potential in the trademark Vinea therefore we decided to interest in it”, a general director of Slovak Kofola Marián Šefčovič states. Kofola already produces a similar beverage under a traditional trademark Toptopic.

Strong crown weakens subsidies from EU

The strong crown weakens inpour of European money for projects which should help the Czech Republic to achieve faster the maturity of European Union. Also it can further decrease amount of money which the country will obtain from Brussels in next years. Tough a sum of money in Euro which the Union allotted to the Czech Republic remains the same, owing to fast strengthening of Czech currency towards Euro applicants get less money than they originally planned. Due to it they have to increase their co-participation in financing or to provide themselves against exchange-rate losses. “In decrease of the Euro exchange rate receivers of subsidies have to increase their financing by as much as ten percents”, a director of advisory firm Directa Vladimír Kokoška says.

Ecologists start campaign: Czech bio-foods wanted

Demand for bio-foods in the Czech Republic meant in the last year a rocket increase, however, 56 percents of bio-goods sold in shops come from import. For example Plus Discont which introduced an ambicious advertising campaign to support its trademark Biobio admits that it imports four fifth of its assortment. Some enterprises whose products are bought commonly by households do not offer bio-foods at all. There is a lack of ordinary bio-cheeses and other milk products, bread, meat, smoked products or processed vegetable on the market.