Summary of newspapers of the previous day – 6. 1. 2010

Russia has decreased quotas for meat imports from USA

Russia is the biggest export market for American poultry meat. For the next year, Russia has decreased quotas for import of poultry and pig meat from the United States. It means that American producers will be able to export less amount of meat with a lower import customs duty than this year. The annual quota for poultry meat import was decreased to 600 000 tons from last year´s 750 000 tons. Moscow set a new quota 57 000 tons for pig meat in comparison with last year´s 100 000 tons. Vice versa, Russia slightly increased a quota for beef meat to 21 700 tons from 18 500 tons.

Agriculture in Vysočina feeds still less people

A number of employees in agriculture, forestry and fishery in Vysočina has decreased to last year´s September year-on-yearly by almost 12 percents to 22 700 persons. According to information of employment agencies, discharging continued also in following months. Except usual termination of seasonal works, among unemployed there were also workers from plant production, which had not been before. It results from statistics that despite that Vysočina remained the strongest agricultural region in the Czech Republic.

Consumption of non-alcoholic beers grew, however, beer production in total fell

While the total beer production in the CR fell roughly by a tenth last year, a consumption of non-alcoholic beer increased similarly as in last ten year. Breweries produced over 600 000 hectoliters of this beer last year, a year before it was 579 000 hl. A share of non-alcoholic beer in the total beer consumption in the CR is almost four percents. Its consumption will grow also in next years especially owing to a change of lifestyle and tougher rules for drivers, an executive director of the Czech Malt and Beer Association Jan Veselý said to ČTK.

FAO: World food prices increase again

According to FAO, world food prices have got the highest in last 14 months. The Food and Agriculture Organization of UNO stated that the food price index increased in November for the fourth times in sequence and got on the 14-month maximum. A significant changes are not expected in next months, Good state of reserves and favourable production perspectives decrease a risk of significant price increase during next six months. The index value, which monitors price changes of food basket composed of cereals, oil-plants, milk products, meat and sugar amounted at average to 168 points last month which is the most since last year´s September. Nevertheless, the index stays 21 percents below the last June maximum.