Intervention a no-show

  • 2004-09-02
  • Baltic News Service
TALLINN - Estonia's first attempt to support the agriculture sector through the EU intervention system drew no response as producers failed to show up to sell butter.

In order to stop a decline in the price of butter, the Agricultural Registers and Information Board offered two months ago to buy butter at 4,775.8 kroons (305 euros) per 100 kilograms from July 7 to Aug. 31, but no producers wished to sell, board spokeswoman Heli Raamets said on Aug. 30.
Money for the intervention purchase would have come from the European Union after Estonia had submitted a respective application, the spokesperson said. "The sum would have been as big as needed. Now this money remains unused and will probably find use in other countries," she said.
The board has also announced an intervention purchase of Estonian grain to last from November to May. Experts say that because of the poor crops this year Estonia is faced with a situation where there will be simply no farmers willing to sell their grain.