Summary of newspapers of the previous days – 15. - 17. 09. 2008

USA will provide Afghan agriculture several hundred of millions USD

The United States will provide several hundreds of millions dollars for renewal of Afghan agriculture this year. At Thursday meeting with journalists in New York after ČTK question it was told by American Minister of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. To help farmers in Afghanistan, which is the biggest opium producer, is the most important civil part of a new American strategy in the country which was declared by USA president Barack Obama in a reaction to strengthening of positions of rebellious movement Taliban already in autumn.

Number of schools which will cook from bio-foods will grow

A public survey confirmed a significant interest of pre-school and school facilities and dining rooms to introduce or enlarge use of bio-foods in boarding. It shows that prices for meals from bio-foods are not in dining rooms so high as it was expected. A nation-wide research, which confirmed the interest of schools in introduction of bio-foods in boarding, was a part of project of implementation of bio-foods in schools and pre-school facilities focused on a support of bio-foods production in the Czech Republic. The project financed from the Program of Organic Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture was started at the autumn last year and will last till autumn 2011.

Ransom for state land returns

The Marginal Areas Union (SMO) warns that a proposed amendment on sale of state land will harm Czech farmers. The novel re-introduces an absolute priority of speculators with restitution claims over farmers managing on the sold land. In its conception the draft law returns to the state when farmers were forced to pay ransom to speculators with restitution claims so that they could buy the land on which they farm. This very problematic proposal is put forward by a former chairman of agricultural committee of the Chamber of Deputies Ing. Ladislav Skopal.

Money for all cattle

For milk producers the year 2009 was the most difficult over last many years. A fall of cover for milk was as much as unimaginable. The price for one liter of milk about 5,80 crowns is a price representing roughly 69 % of costs and the fall in takings represents unbelievable approximately six billion crowns. Many breeders, already from the year beginning, pointed out the unfavourable trend which moved in the critical state.