Brussels, 12/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - A number of demonstrations by producers -mostly Spanish, Portuguese and Italian- of nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, etc.) and carobs took place last year in the vicinity of the Agriculture Council sittings in Luxembourg, Brussels and even in Portugal, but without any real effects on Commissioner Franz Fischler. The Commissioner is convinced that an aid system that has worked for 10 years should suffice to allow producers to proceed with grubbing and planting of new varieties and to take measures to improve marketing. On 5 October 2000, the Commission nevertheless adopted a proposal aimed at extending for one year at most the financing (EUR 241.5/ha) of certain plans for quality improvement due to expire on 31 December 2000.
The report by Spanish Socialist Maria Izquierdo Rojo recommends that the EP plenary raise this maximum duration to two years and make provision for renewal of the aid until the system has been replaced by other support measures, which should take the form of aid at a flat rate per hectare. This income aid would be paid in the framework of the common organisation of the market for fruit and vegetables. The report also calls for aid of EUR 15/100 kg for hazelnuts. The vote, planned for Thursday in plenary, is expected to confirm Parliament's support for nut producers, already seen in the adoption of a resolution along these lines in June 2000.