Summary of newspapers of the previous days – 8. 4. – 10.4. 2011

MZe: Domestic growers will not reduce areas under vegetable this year

Domestic growers will not obviously reduce areas under vegetable this year which have significantly decreased owing to falling sale in recent years. The reason is growing demand for high-quality vegetable grown in the Czech Republic whose consumption gradually grows. It results from data of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Czech and Moravian Vegetable Union. Last year, the total harvest acreage of vegetable decreased year-on-yearly roughly by three percents to 13 396 hectares. Fields of professional growers took 8583 hectares, the remaining less than 4813 ha were represented by an estimated area on which households grew vegetable.

Czech started to buy Czech vegetable again

Hot March weather did favour to growers who had planted out early kinds of vegetable and potatoes. According to estimation by the Czech and Moravian Vegetable Union, the extent of planted fields is the same as last year. Thereby a last years´ trend, when the area decreased, would end. Recently, the demand for quality Czech vegetable has increased. Among the most favourite kinds of vegetable there are currently those which do not require a kitchen treatment. “People devote less time to cooking than before therefore the demand for kohlrabis, radishes, peppers, asparagus, lettuce and tomatoes is growing.

Farmers in CR wants better setting of subsidies from EU

The European Union negotiated already now a new common agricultural policy which will come in force after 2013. For Czech farmers it is a chance for negotiations of better conditions. In Europe it is discussed now not only about subsidies, but also the future of European agriculture in a context of protection of the environment. However, the currently running debate about the future of European agriculture, concretely the Common Agricultural Policy of the EU after 2013 turns rather around economic questions than the ecological ones.

Farmers markets - this year for the second year

The State Veterinary Administration of the CR(SVS ČR) feels with liking a traditional sale of foods of animal origin which was re-discovered at present. Well, it is dealt with a way which is called “farmers markets” now. Such a sale has its rules. For example, if it takes place on approved markets and market places, inspectors of locally appropriate regional veterinary administration supervise it. Therefore the SVS ČR has written ten principles published also on its web pages www.svscr.cz, including a leaflet for free download.