The cereal and grain market, and in particular the grain maize market, are currently in a disastrous situation.

The line of argument presented by the European Commission which, citing the pretext of good economic prospects, consisted of simply leaving matters to the market to destroy intervention, has proven to be utterly wrong and has had dramatic effects on the finances and economy of maize farms and the maize sector.
 
As the European Commission has stubbornly refused to recognise the basic error made in its analysis of the situation, the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers must now rectify matters by bringing back the tools required for proper market management.
 
The reintroduction of import tariffs for maize is a positive move, but what is also needed, and most importantly, is to have intervention brought back, and under conditions that are not totally divorced from reality, covering both volume and price (European limit of 0.7 MT in 2009 and intervention price of 101.77 €/T).
 
The economic survival of an entire sector hit by a major crisis is at stake here.

Contact: Luc Esprit, Permanent Secretary:  + 33 6 80 31 65 45

CEPM (European Confederation of Maize Production), comprised of member organisations representing maize growers in the following countries:  Bulgaria,  France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.