ZAGREB, March 5 (Hina) - The Croatian National Parliament's House of Representatives on Friday continued its session with a discussion on the bill on financial stimuli and compensation in agriculture. We tried to balance the stimuli
according to production and agricultural fields, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ivan Djurkic said. The new model for stimulating agriculture is on the line of best solutions in other countries, but is also conditioned by Croatia's efforts to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO), he said. In relation to the existing law, the new law proposes 17 stimulating measures (for example, for the growing of wheat, oil crops, shells, the catching of blue fish and so on). There will be an increase in stimulation for tobacco, cow milk and the production of honey, and some species of fish. On the other hand, stimulation would be reduced for the production of bone
ZAGREB, March 5 (Hina) - The Croatian National Parliament's House
of Representatives on Friday continued its session with a
discussion on the bill on financial stimuli and compensation in
agriculture.
We tried to balance the stimuli according to production and
agricultural fields, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ivan
Djurkic said.
The new model for stimulating agriculture is on the line of best
solutions in other countries, but is also conditioned by Croatia's
efforts to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO), he said.
In relation to the existing law, the new law proposes 17 stimulating
measures (for example, for the growing of wheat, oil crops, shells,
the catching of blue fish and so on).
There will be an increase in stimulation for tobacco, cow milk and
the production of honey, and some species of fish. On the other
hand, stimulation would be reduced for the production of bone meal,
fish meal and grape in some areas.
Although the bill was mostly supported by MPs, they did motion
numerous amendments, requesting more resources.
The US$158 million dollars envisaged for stimulating agriculture
in this year has been described as insufficient for a significant
step and improvement of the situation in agriculture.
The Opposition had a number of harsh criticisms against the bill.
The Social Democratic Party (SDA) will accept is as a necessary
evil, Dragica Grebec said, while Zlatko Tomcic of the Croatian
Peasants' Party bench (HSS) described it as a temporarily
acceptable law, for emergency and upcoming spring reaping.
The MPs unanimously agreed financial stimulation and compensation
for mineral fertilisers and diesel fuel for sea fishermen should
not be abolished.
MPs and the Farming, Village and Peasantry Committee expressed
dissatisfaction that corn was not included in the stimulation
system. Corn is an especially important crop for reviving stock
breeding, they said.
Committees and party benches, including the ruling Croatian
Democratic Union (HDZ) bench, stressed pig-farming should be
stimulated.
Stimuli should be extended to vine farming, the farming of
raspberries and strawberries, Matej Jankovic of the HDZ, said.
Stimulation measures should be by far greater, and at the moment,
the biggest stimulus would be payment to peasants for last year's
produce.
Deadlines for the payment of stimuli should be clearly defined, MPs
suggested.
Bozo Kovacevic of the Liberal Party (LS) bench requested that the
stimulation be paid directly to the producers, so nobody could
'meddle' with the money intended for farmers and fishermen.
He recalled the case of compensation for milk, which he said was
"compensation to the privatised (dairy) industry, not the
peasant".
The extensive discussion warned about great areas of uncultivated
agricultural land, the slowness of sales and buy out of state-owned
land, and too extensive authorities of the Minister.
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