Summary of newspapers of the previous day – 14. 9. 2009

Czech farmers will not join milk strike in Europe

Czech farmers will not join the strike owing to low buy-out milk prices organized by their colleagues from west Europe. A president of the Agrarian Chamber Jan Veleba said it to ČTK today. The strike opened by French dairy cattle breeders last week was gradually joined also by farmers from Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg; farmers from other countries consider their participation in the protest. “At present we are working on a budget for 2010”, Veleba explained why the Agrarian Chamber will not support the strike. “We do not plan any action in the Czech Republic”, he added.

Pálavské vinobraní reached record visit rate

Organizers of Pálavské vinobraní (Vintage in Pálava, South Moravia) recorded a record interest of visitors in Mikulov in Břeclav region. On Friday, about 30 000 people enjo yed themselves in the streets of approximately seven-thousand town, on Saturday the visit rate was even higher. Organizers have not got exact numbers yet. “Already now it is clear that it will be a record, we have not experienced this in Mikulov yet”, a chief magistrate Rostislav Koštial told. Since Friday, tens of thousands people taste stum and wine also at a historical vintage in Znojmo where the visit rate is annually even higher than in Mikulov. They noted a record last year when 80 000 people came in two days.

Where state million disappear? In strange orders of agrarian funds?

Two state funds managed by the Ministry of Agriculture did not proceed standardly in ordering commissions. The State Agricultural Intervention Funds (SZIF) obviously paid ten times more for a computer system that its real value was. The Subsidiary Guarrantee Fund (PGRLF), also managed by the Ministry of Agriculture, chose a firm for functioning of an endowment program without a standard selective proceeding. Hereat, both cases become also a part of lobbyist fight among the strongest parties, ODS and ČSSD. Both funds are managed by chiefs appointed still under rule of ODS.

Amount of poppy seed will be less, it will not stay in stock

Farmers started to harvest poppy from fields. However, a crop will be lower against last year´s roughly by twenty percents. “We have 1400 hectares sown with poppy this year”, a director of the Agrarian Chamber Josef Gracias reveals. However, contrary to cereals farmers do not have to be afraid that they would not sell it. “There is a considerable interest in poppy on foreign markets”, Josef Gracial communicates. Farmers are not satisfied with a sale on Czech market. “Purchasers offer less money to au than production costs are”, the director explains. He adds that they will sell it obviously abroad.