Prague, Feb 11 (CTK) – Last year’s agricultural trade deficit at Kc30.8bn was the worst since 2011 and Kc7.7bn higher than in 2016, the Agricultural Association said, referring to data from the Czech Statistical Office (CSU).
Czech imports of agricultural products grew by some Kc2.8bn to Kc227.5bn, while Czech agricultural exports dropped by Kc4.9bn.
“A record amount of meat for Kc28bn was imported to the Czech Republic last year, four times more that when our country entered the EU. Domestic animal production was cut accordingly,” the association said.
The Czech Republic lacks processing capacity and agricultural workers, the association’s chairman Martin Pycha told CTK.
The Czech Republic imports pork from Germany and Poland, he added.
“The trade deficit in meat deteriorated by almost Kc2bn against 2016, this commodity keeps the highest trade deficit of all agricultural commodity groups,” Pycha remarked.
The Agrarian Chamber said that the foreign trade development offers the exact picture of Czech production, or more precisely the lack of it.
This trend has not been changed despite all efforts, just the opposite, the structure of import is deteriorating as regards production with higher value added, said the chamber’s spokesman Jiri Felcarek.
Prevention of imports of animal products for dumping prices, for example from Poland and Germany, should be the first step for improving the situation, Pycha recommended.
Support for farmers in EU countries also needs to be balanced. Higher support for farmers in sales cooperatives should be the next step. They could have tax reliefs and advantages in subsidy programmes.
The Czech state is also unable to improve conditions for bringing workers from abroad, for example for seasonal work in the orchards, Pycha said.
Lack of processing capacity is yet another problem. The Czech Republic exports commodities like milk and cattle and imports final products like meat and cheeses, he added.
Agricultural foreign trade:
|
year |
export (Kc bn) |
import (Kc bn)) |
deficit/surplus (Kc bn) |
|
1993 CR’s setup |
32.276 |
31.497 |
0.779 |
|
1995 |
35.596 |
47.636 |
-12.040 |
|
1996 |
32.555 |
54.353 |
-21.798 |
|
1999 |
39.757 |
60.484 |
-20.727 |
|
2000 |
47.729 |
65.011 |
-17.282 |
|
2001 |
49.411 |
69.228 |
-19.817 |
|
2002 |
45.174 |
69.040 |
-23.866 |
|
2003 |
48.805 |
74.259 |
-25.455 |
|
2004 CR’s EU entry |
61.526 |
93.822 |
-32.295 |
|
2005 |
78.520 |
103.522 |
-25.003 |
|
2006 |
78.542 |
112.737 |
-34.195 |
|
2007 |
96.880 |
129.333 |
-32.453 |
|
2008 |
106.931 |
131.048 |
-24.117 |
|
2009 |
101.708 |
133.735 |
-32.027 |
|
2010 |
105.364 |
140.008 |
-34.644 |
|
2011 worst results in history |
120.381 |
156.674 |
-36.293 |
|
2012 biggest yr/yr improvement |
148.309 |
173.026 |
-24.717 |
|
2013 |
160.594 |
184.674 |
-24.080 |
|
2014 |
180.247 |
199.909 |
-19.662 |
|
2015 |
201.383 |
220.686 |
-19.303 |
|
2016 |
201.592 |
224.676 |
-23.084 |
|
2017 |
196.741 |
227.493 |
-30.752 |
Source: Agricultural Association based on CSU data
