ZAGREB, March 10 (Hina) - The Croatian National Parliament's House of Representatives on Wednesday continued a discussion on a draft bill on financial stimuli and compensation in agriculture and fishing, which it began last week. MPs
agreed that this law was necessary and stressed that all farmers who had sold their produce must get their money. During the debate members of the Sabor lower house also said the amount of 1.1 billion kuna (about 160 million dollars) which will be earmarked for the farming this year was insufficient for a greater step forward in agriculture, although it would be 30 percent more financial means to be spent for this purpose than in 1998. MPs, depending on areas from where they come, expressed objections just the same as were last week. They asked why the growing of certain crops had been excluded from the stimulation envisaged by the bill or why some other areas ha
ZAGREB, March 10 (Hina) - The Croatian National Parliament's House
of Representatives on Wednesday continued a discussion on a draft
bill on financial stimuli and compensation in agriculture and
fishing, which it began last week.
MPs agreed that this law was necessary and stressed that all farmers
who had sold their produce must get their money.
During the debate members of the Sabor lower house also said the
amount of 1.1 billion kuna (about 160 million dollars) which will be
earmarked for the farming this year was insufficient for a greater
step forward in agriculture, although it would be 30 percent more
financial means to be spent for this purpose than in 1998.
MPs, depending on areas from where they come, expressed objections
just the same as were last week. They asked why the growing of
certain crops had been excluded from the stimulation envisaged by
the bill or why some other areas had not been included in the regions
of the strategic importance for development.
They added that incentives should be paid directly to farmers and
that prices of artificial fertilisers and fuel should be reduced.
Vladimir Seks of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)
demanded that the Sabor be notified about negotiations with the
World Trade Organisation (WTO) and that agriculture should be
covered by international credit arrangements.
Radical changes in agriculture are necessary for successful bids to
join economic integration processes, and a first step is this draft
bill, an assistant to Agriculture Minister, Miroslav Bozic told
Sabor at the end of the discussion on this matter.
The lower house has continued 38th session with a debate on
proposals for passing the law on the Agreement on Special Relations
Between Croatia and the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
(hina) ms