Summary of newspapers of the previous day – 14. 7. 2009

Agriculture in EU is in danger of serious crisis. Feed from USA contradicts norms

A very wide-spread feed from soya for cattle, which is imported in Europe from the United States, contains marks of genetically modified crop not permitted in the USA. EU agriculture is in a danger of serious crisis owing to a very wide-spread feed from soya for cattle imported in Europe from the USA. German authorities discovered marks of genetically modified crop not permitted in the USA, so there is a threat of a complete ban of import. EU applies in this case a policy of “zero toleration”.

Prague wants ecological vegetable from farms, however, it has no resources

A civil association PRO-BIO LIGA helps farmers with a direct sale of farm production. A start of realization of so-called box system showed an enormous interest of consumers in bio-vegetable from small growers and at the same time a critical lack of vegetable growers in the city surroundings. The newly opening box system secures bio-vegetable of eco-farmer Karel Tachecí for overall 30 Prague families which interested in a support of his farming and subscribed for a part of harvest for quarter-year in advance. Consumers entered the system aware of a possibility that if the harvest would be lower, they would bear a risk of smaller deliveries.

Government discussed Annual Report of PGRLF

In frame of its activity the Subsidiary and Guarantee Rural and Forestry Fund (PGRLF) concentrated in 2008 on support aiming at the agricultural sector in a form of providing subsidies of a part of interests from commercial credits. In 2008, 2 187 applications were approved with a total provided a support in height 576,6 million CZK. Thanks to PGRLF support in 2008, 4,9 billion CZK were drawn in the agriculture department in form of credits for purchase of agricultural machines and land. Throughout the whole period of PGRLF operation the sum of drawn credits was 117,8 bil. CZK. To secure this volume the fund paid a sum in height 21 bil. CZK.

Takings from fair sale increased by fifth last year

Interest in goods with a mark of fair trade (Fairtrade) grew even at time of crisis. Taking from sale of this goods increased by 22 percents to 2,9 billion Euros (75,2 billion CZK) all over the world last year. A high growth was recorded in all good categories, the most in tea and cotton goods. It results from a report of subject organization Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International. Takings from tea sale increased by 112 percents last year and of cotton products by 94 percents. The most sold products according to a sale volume is, among others, coffee and bananas.