Summary of newspapers of the previous day – 22. 7. 2009

Owing to rain this year´s harvest go slower than last year

A course of this year´s harvest is slower in comparison with the last year´s one. According to vice-president of Agrarian Chamber Jindřich Šnejdrla, rainy weather complicates works to farmers. To the 20th of July farmers have harvested approximately six percents of fields with cereals and 13 percents with rape, the Agrarian Chamber presented. This time last year, farmers had approximately a double amount of cereals and a quarter of total areas with rape under roof. The harvest proceeded farthest in winter barley where almost 60 percent is already harvested.

Ecologists evaluate damages on European eco-systems caused by invasive species

Invasive species affect natural ecosystems, destabilize food chains, and decrease utility value of communities. Recently, ecologists try to express financially this ecosystem degradation. In a study, published in a journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment this week, scientists created a list of non-original species which cause the biggest ecosystem damages and for which liquidation the most financial means is spent.

Coffee in rise

Owing to fears from rains in Brazil, the most important grower country, which could affect local harvest, a price of coffee Arabica climbed on a month maximum on a Change in New York. Rains and storms in key grower areas Minas Gerais and Sao Paolo are expected especially in a period from the 24th to 26th of July. A contract of Arabica with a term of delivery in September strengthened during Tuesday séance on the ICE Futures (a former New York Board of Trade) by 0,2 cent to 122,50 cents for pound, whereas throughout the day the price was traded the highest for 123,50 cents which was the highest achieved value in the most active contract since the 18th of June.

Farmers threaten: We will block stocks to chains

Agricultural trade unionists still threaten with a blockage of Czech chains´ storages. According to them, their decision can be changed just by the only thing – a good harvest and an adoption of law on significant market power which should reduce alleged bad practices of markets. “Decisively, we did not think better of the protests”, a chief of Trade Union of Agriculture and Food Workers Bohumír Dufek confirmed to Deník.A thorn in the flesh of farmers are reputedly extreme margins and according to Dufek trade unionists would desist from the blockades only in the case that just these margins would be reduced and prices would start to copy the market situation. So, prices would start to decrease.