Summary of newspapers of the previous day – 19.10. 2011

There is interest in firewood, therefore its price still raises

Solid fuels are against gas or electric power cheaper, but they have also disadvantages. A heating season has started and still more and more people use wood for heating of their homes and flats. Sellers have enough of wood for the present, however, its prices raise. The increase in interest is confirmed also by a secretary of the firm Krbové a palivové dříví, s.r.o., Miroslav Beran. “People buy the firewood. However, in south Bohemia it is more usual to heat with wood from coniferous trees. However, its prices have grown fast because it is purchased for chopping”, he stated. Therefore the seller recommended customers to heat with wood from deciduous trees like oak or beech. “Hard wood is of better quality; it has better fuel efficiency, and in burning does not foul boilers and chimneys”, he explains.

Senate will perhaps approve transfer of 1.1 mld. Czk for MZe for national subsidies

According to expectation, the Senate will obviously approve a government amendment about increase of this year´s budget of the Ministry of Agriculture by 1.1 milliard crowns. The money, which it should get by a transfer from the Land Fund, should strengthen national endowment resources. The senate committee for territorial development and environment recommended the amendment today. Originally, the amendment counted on that only 540 million crowns would be used for the national endowment resources; the remaining 560 million should aim at the Rural Development Programme. The parliamentary agricultural committee recommended to give the whole sum for the subsidies because there will be obviously enough money for co-financing of the Rural Development Programme directly in the state budget. The amendment was supported also by the opposition in the Parliament.

Reform of CAP: Ceiling of subsidies will not practically tough Czech farms

A proposal of European Commission, which after 2013 counts on cutting of direct payments for large farms, will not practically touch Czech farms. According to experts, the ceilings of subsidies should concern only several few large enterprises in the Czech Republic. The introduction of upper limits for large farms, against which the Czech Republic steadfastly fought from issuing of the first proposal for a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy in Brussels (see e.g. EurActiv 18.3.2011), Czech farmers will not practically record. This even despite the fact that the Czech Republic is counted for historical reasons among countries with biggest farms. Resources from the European Commission and domestic experts confirmed it to EurActive.

Trades on commodity exchange are low; price of feeding barley raised

Trades on the Commodity Exchange in Brno are low. An interest in food wheat and feeding barley whose price grew by eight percents in case that the transport is paid by a buyer, increased. Currently, it costs 3788 crowns for a tonne. It results from information published by the commodity exchange today. Vice versa, prices of corn decrease even by as many as 202 crowns for a tonne; of oil rape by as many as 346 crowns for a tonne. “We register a steady interest in regular monthly deliveries f feeding wheat in amount of 1000 tonnes and of corn in amount of 500 tonnes. Besides this demand, also a demand for corn in the amount of 1000 tonnes for the price 3500 crowns in the parity FCA”, the general secretary of the Commodity Exchange, Karel Zezula stated.