Summary of newspapers of the previous day – 5.9. 2011

Minister Tomáš Chalupa negotiated with ambassadors of four countries and UNO representative in Prague on climatic changes

The minister Tomáš Chalupa received the ambassadors of the South African Republic, Denmark, Mexico, Brazil, and the head of office of UNO information center in Prague. At a preparatory meeting before a coming international conference, which will take place in December in Durban, participants consulted the current state of climatic changes. The main aim of international negotiations is a delimitation of principles of global climate protection for the period after 2012. Results of the conference in Durban should be focused primarily on a reduction of green-house gas emissions in advanced and developing economies.

Wine growers announce better harvest than last year

Owing to moulds and unfavourable weather, the last year´s crop of grapes was the lowest over the last 13 years and also harvest in the year before the last was below-average. However, this year, especially Moravian vine growers are satisfied. They expect yields 5.5 to 6 tonnes per hectare which is roughly a long-tem average while last year it was 4.3 tonnes and the year before the last less than three tonnes per hectare. This year, vine-growers could produce roughly 600 to 700 thousand hectoliters of wine while last year it was 564 thousand hectoliters which means a fall by one third in comparison with 2009.

Dependence of Czech farmers on subsidies increases

Subsidies represent more than 260 000 crowns yearly per one employee in agriculture. It shares roughly with 70 percents in the net added value of the branch which decreases competitiveness of Czech farmers. Despite wide government savings, last years subsidies increased to farmers by 600 millions to 38.5 milliard CZK. While subsidies from European Union budget grow and their share in the total subsidies reaches 66 percents, support from the national budget decrease. At present, farmers take subsidies by 250 percents higher than before the CR accession into the European Union.

New conception of potato fertilization

A producer of fertilizers and inorganic salts K + S has developed a new fertilization system determined to supply potatoes with nitrogen. As the concern announced last week, fast working nitrate nitrogen should be combined with NPK fertilizers which contain a stabilized ammonia nitrogen. Thereby, K+S wants to secure a sufficient amount of nutrients accessible for plants in the surface soil layer at time of their highest need. Just this year it showed how strong influence a weather course has on nitrogen supply, the concern emphasized. An irregular intake of nutrients, especially during growth of bulbs, has a negative impact on potato quality.