OPATIJA, Jan 27 (Hina) - Croatia can catch up with other European countries in the ecological production of food by 2010 after the Sabor adopts a law on this matter which is in the parliamentary procedure, said a MP, Ante Simonic, at
an international conference on the European Union's harmonisation of the organic farming in the Croatian coastal resort of Opatija. The three-day conference, which began on Friday, has gathered experts from Croatia and 14 European countries. The law, which is to be adopted, will regulate the ecological production, prevent false declarations on the healthy food, help educate producers and farmers and inform consumers about the importance of the ecological production, Simonic said on Saturday adding that the most important benefit of the law would be the government's stimulation to farmers who produce healthy food. On Friday, an
OPATIJA, Jan 27 (Hina) - Croatia can catch up with other European
countries in the ecological production of food by 2010 after the
Sabor adopts a law on this matter which is in the parliamentary
procedure, said a MP, Ante Simonic, at an international conference
on the European Union's harmonisation of the organic farming in the
Croatian coastal resort of Opatija.
The three-day conference, which began on Friday, has gathered
experts from Croatia and 14 European countries.
The law, which is to be adopted, will regulate the ecological
production, prevent false declarations on the healthy food, help
educate producers and farmers and inform consumers about the
importance of the ecological production, Simonic said on Saturday
adding that the most important benefit of the law would be the
government's stimulation to farmers who produce healthy food.
On Friday, an expert on this matter, Darko Znaor, said that out of
some 50 subsidies the Croatian government gave for agriculture,
none was intended for the organic farming.
According to figures Znaor cited at the event, merely 12.5 hectares
of farmland in Croatia is used for the ecological production and
only 16 producers are included in such activity.
For instance, neighbouring Slovenia has 700 such producers.
A representative of the Croatian Agriculture Ministry, said at the
conference that last year the Government had not received any
request for the financial support to the ecological agriculture,
but Mrs. Zeljka Gudelj Velaga said she hoped the law on this matter
which was in the second parliamentary reading would define this
kind of the agricultural production.
In the world the ecological production registers the annual growth
of 25 percent, and this proves the assertion that this branch of
agriculture is profitable.
The three-day conference in Opatija, held under sponsorship of
Sabor Speaker, the Croatian government and local authorities, has
been organised by IFOAM (International Federation of Organic
Agriculture Movements), IFOAM regional branch for the
Mediterranean (AgriBioMediterraneo), a local organisation in
Rijeka and an Italian association of organic agriculture (AIAB).
(hina) ms