COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR ENERGY AND TRANSPORT

ALTENER PROGRAMME

Contract No: 4.1030/C/00-022/2000

“Biomass in Mediterranean”

Project No 238: “STUDIES ON THE EXPLOITATION OF CAROB FOR BIOETHANOL PRODUCTION”

Dr Nikolaos Zografakis

Dimitrios Dasenakis

January 2002

REGION OF CRETE - REGIONAL ENERGY AGENCY

CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. CAROB TREE AND FRUIT: DESCRIPTION - USES

2.1 Botanical description of the carob tree

2.2 Origin – Distribution of the carob tree

2.3 Ecology

2.4 Agronomy

2.5 Properties of the carob

2.6 Uses of the carob

3. Production of carob

4. CAROB TREE AND FRUIT IN GREECE AND CRETE: SPECIFIC CONSIDERATIONS

5. Prospects – Recommendations

ANNEXES

ANNEX I: European Council’s Regulation 790/89 of 20.03.1989 (L85/6 of 30.03.1989)

1. Introduction

The carob tree has been grown since antiquity in most countries of the Mediterranean basin, usually in mild and dry places with poor soils. Its value was recognized by the ancient Greeks, who brought it from its native Middle East to Greece and Italy, and by the Arabs, who disseminated it along the North African coast and north into Spain and Portugal. It was spread in recent times to other Mediterranean-like regions such as California, Arizona, Mexico, Chile and Argentina by Spanish, to parts of Australia by Mediterranean emigrants and to South Africa and India by the English.

The carob tree is an important component of the Mediterranean vegetation and its cultivation in marginal and prevailing calcareous soils of the Mediterranean region is important environmentally and economically. Traditionally, grafted carob trees have been interplanted with olives, grapes, almonds and barley in low-intensity farming systems in most producing countries.

Carob pods with their sugary pulp are a staple in the diet of farm animals and are eaten by children as snacks or by people in times of famine. However, currently the main interest is seed production for gum extraction. Because of low orchard management requirements the carob tree is suitable for part-time farming and shows potential for planting in semi-arid Mediterranean or subtropical regions. The trees are also useful as ornamentals and for landscaping, windbreaks and afforestation. Cattle can browse on leaves and the wood is suitable for fuel.

World production is estimated at about 310 000 t/year produced from some 200 000 ha with very variable yields depending on cultivar, region and farming practice. Spain is the leading carob producer, producing on average 135 000 t/year, followed by Italy, Portugal, Morocco, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Algeria and some other countries.

Carob has been neglected with respect to both cultural practices and research and development. This project explores the production of ethylalcohol from carob, which could be used as an “alternative biofuel”. This is a new prospect for carob utilisation which could be combined with the other uses of carob tree and of carob fruit.

2. CAROB TREE AND FRUIT: DESCRIPTION - USES

2.1 Botanical description of the carob tree

The scientific name of carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) derives from Greek keras, horn, and Latin siliqua, alluding to the hardness and shape of the pod. The common name originates from the Hebrew kharuv, from which are derived the Arabic kharrub and later algarrobo or garrofero in Spanish, carrubo in Italian, caroubier in French, Karubenbaum in German, alfarrobeira in Portuguese, charaoupi in Greek, charnup in Turkish, and garrofer or garrover in Catalan. Various names are used in different regions of Italy: ascenedda, soscella (Basilicata); carrua, carrubbi (Sicilia). In Asia the following names are used: chiao-tou-shu (China), gelenggang (Malaysia) and chum het tai (Thailand). The carob is also known as St. John’s bread or locust bean in reference to the presumed use of its ‘locusts’ as food by St. John the Baptist and, from that derives Johannisbrotbaum in German. Jewellers used its uniform seeds as a unit of weight (200 mg), the carat.

Fig. 1. Carob tree

Flowers are green-tinted red. The fruit is an indehiscent pod, elongated, compressed, straight or curved, thickened at the sutures, 10-30 cm long, 1.5-3.5 cm wide and about 1 cm thick. Pods are brown with a wrinkled surface and are leathery when ripe. The pulp comprises an outer leathery layer (pericarp) and softer inner region (mesocarp). Seeds occur in the pod transversally, separated by mesocarp. They are very hard and numerous, compressed ovate-oblong, 8-10 mm long, 7-8 mm wide and 3-5 mm thick. Many basic aspects of carob reproductive biology remain largely unknown.

The carob is the only Mediterranean tree with the main flowering season in autumn (September-November), similar to many truly tropical plants. However, the time and length of the flowering period depends on local climatic conditions as in most fruit and nut trees. In very hot places male and female trees have been observed in full bloom during June.

Fig. 2. Important parts of the carob pod (A), section of pod (B) and seed (C).

2.2 Origin – Distribution of the carob tree

The centre of origin of C. siliqua is not clear. It was placed in the eastern Mediterranean region (Turkey and Syria). However, carob considered also as native to the highlands of southern Arabia.

The original distribution of C. siliqua is not clear as it has undergone extensive cultivation since ancient times. Carob is believed to have been spread by the Greeks to Greece and Italy and then by the Arabs along the coast of northern Africa into the south and east of Spain, from where it migrated to the south of Portugal and the southeast of France. Spontaneous carobs occur in many places around the western Mediterranean basin but they are regarded as feral derivatives of the fruit crop which probably evolved under domestication.

As a food source, carob pods could be stored and transported long distances. In most of the Mediterranean region wild and naturalized carobs are distributed in more or less the same geographic and climatic belt as the cultivated. Forms of spontaneous carobs are particularly common at low altitudes along the Spanish Mediterranean coast, southwest Spain, southern Portugal, the Balearic Islands, southeast France, the shores of southern Italy including Sicily, the Adriatic coast of Croatia, the Aegean region and Crete in Greece and Turkey, along the northern and southern ranges of the isle of Cyprus, in the islands of Malta, in the maritime belt of Lebanon and Israel, the north and south of Morocco and the coastline in Tunisia.

The carob tree was likely introduced into the United States from Spain. Seedling trees grown for shade on the streets of cities in southern California and Arizona were selected for commercial production on the basis of their floral and fruit characteristics. In some areas along the shores of the Mediterranean sea, wild carobs occupy places not disturbed by cultivation.

Scant information is available on the origin and domestication of the carob tree. Early archaeobotanical findings (charred wood and seeds) in Israel showed that the carob existed in the eastern Mediterranean long before the start of Neolithic agriculture (4000 b.c).

Fig. 3. World carob distribution and centres of origin

2.3 Ecology

The carob is a long-lived evergreen and thermophilous tree thriving in habitats with mild Mediterranean climates. It grows well in warm temperate and subtropical areas, and tolerates hot and humid coastal areas. Carob and orange trees have similar temperature requirements but carob tolerates poorer soils and needs much less water.

Areas suitable for carob should have a subtropical Mediterranean climate with cool, not cold, winters, mild to warm springs, and warm to hot dry summers. These Mediterranean-like areas range from approximately 30° to 45° in northern latitudes (Mediterranean basin, California and Arizona) and between 30° and 40° in southern latitudes (Australia, South Africa and Chile).

Adult trees require no winter chilling; they can be damaged when temperatures fall below -4°C and can only withstand winter temperatures of not lower than -7°C. However, trees can withstand summer temperatures of 40°C and hot dry winds.

Carob trees can adapt to a wide range of soil types from poor sandy soils and rocky hillsides to deep soils, but they cannot withstand waterlogging although the root system is usually deep. In areas with shallow rocky soils, tree size and productivity are reduced. The best soils are sandy well-drained loams but calcareous soils with high lime content are also suitable. Carob also appears to tolerate salinity well reported tolerance to a soil salt content of up to 3% NaCl.

Seeds are currently the most important part of the pods as they are used to extract the valuable carob bean gum (CBG). Pulp value depends on its use (livestock feed or human food industry) and the contents of sugar, fibre, tannins and flavour.

The pulp is the main constituent of the pod. Pulp content in the pod ranges from 73 to 95%, with corresponding seed contents. Seed yield is an important fruit characteristic that varies with climatic and soil conditions but is also strongly cultivar related. Wild carobs have produced higher seed yield.

The content and quality of gum are also important features. They vary with climate, soil and cultivar. Endosperm, from which the gum is derived, ranges from 42 to 60% in dry weight. The current trend is to grow good dual-purpose cultivars (pulp and kernel), so that high production of carob kernel can be avoided in the future to stabilize the CBG market.

Harvesting is the major cost in carob production owing to the expensive and scarce labour in most developed countries. Manual harvesting of the pods represents 30- 35% of the total production cost for an orchard. This cost can be divided between knocking (or shaking) and collecting operations. Knocking is a traditional operation performed with thin long poles to knock down ripe pods. Manual or mechanical harvesting by trunk shakers and manpower shakers is affected by size and growth habit of the trees. Collecting operations depend on yield, size and shape of pod, and orchard density. The main aim for new carob orchard establishment should be mechanical harvesting.

The physiological ripening of the pods starts in May-June and is a gradual process closely related to natural fruit drop. Early ripening cultivars would avoid not only flower damage with the sticks but also rainfall, which is frequent at harvesting time (September-October) in Mediterranean countries.

2.4 Agronomy

Tree densities in carob orchards of Mediterranean countries have traditionally been low and variable, within the range of 25-45 trees/ha which means square tree spacing from 20 x 20 m to 15 x 15 m. Intercropping with species like olive, grapevines or almond is frequently found. Most of the areas where carob trees will grow are semi-arid or marginal for good horticultural production.

When carobs are to be planted in fertile soils, high-density planting and tree thinning later may be considered. Early yield can be maximized by initially planting more trees per hectare than will be needed for maximum bearing potential.

The carob tree is a species that needs little pruning, unlike other fruit and nut trees, which require pruning annually.

Traditionally, carob orchards have hardly been fertilized. This species has always been considered extremely adaptable to very poor soils and only some manure, when locally available, has been applied. However, in recent years, the revaluation of the crop has led some farmers to apply various types of fertilizer, either mineral or organic.

In the Mediterranean region, where water resources are scarce, irrigation is reserved for the more profitable horticultural crops. Therefore, the carob tree is planted in dry land. However, the availability of water is a requirement for good production. In this drought-resistant species the supply of water should be considered as occasional irrigation and within certain limits of dose and time of the year.

Carob orchards are known to enter slowly into production. This has two main causes: the slow growth of the tree and its long vegetative period, and other environmental and cultural factors. In plantations located in marginal areas, the nonbearing period is long, from 6 to 8 years, while in others, where the conditions are better, cropping starts 3 or 4 years after budding. It is reported that carob trees start to bear fruit in the 5th to 6th year when budded trees are planted and in the 7th or 8th year when seedlings are used for planting and later budded.

After harvesting, carobs are either delivered to the processor or stored under shelter. Moisture will gradually decrease during the subsequent months of storage.

Most of the carob pods harvested are brought to the processing plant. When carobs arrive, moisture content is variable (10-20%) depending on harvesting conditions and autumn rainfall. Pods require further drying and thus are stored under shelter in dry and ventilated places to reduce moisture to around 8% and to avoid rotting. Insects in stored carobs, mainly carob moth, can be controlled by fumigation. Pods are kibbled to separate the two main components: pulp and seeds.

Carob pods are crushed mechanically using a kibbler, then are separated from the kernels. This first coarse grinding can be followed by fine grinding of the pod pieces (kibbles) either at the same plant or at the feed or food factories. The feed factory grinds the deseeded pulp to different sizes in relation to the kind of livestock to be fed. The food industry processes the pulp further by roasting and milling to obtain a fine powder which is traded as carob powder.

The carob seeds are transported in bulk by lorry to the gum factories. The kernels are difficult to process, since the seed coat is very hard. The two main procedures applied to remove seed coat are: acid (seeds treated with sulphuric acid to carbonize the coat) or roasting (kernels roasted in a rotating furnace to peel off the coat After the peeling process the endosperm can be split from the cotyledons because of their different friabilities. When the peeled seeds are forced through a splitting machine the brittle embryos turn out as a fine powder (germ meal) and can be separated from the unbroken endosperm scales by a sifting operation. Subsequently the endosperm is ground on roller mills to the desired particle size (gum). The carob bean gum is the ground endosperm and the carob germ meal is a by-product of the seed processing.

Grower payout is calculated more and more in relation to the kernel yield of the cultivar delivered and also on amount of debris. Before carobs are stored, a grading sample is drawn from each delivery. This sample is processed individually using a small kibbler to determine kernel percentage.

Fig. 4. Processing of the carob pod.

From the market situation over the past 15 years it can be seen that carob pod prices tend to be cyclic with long gaps, and high peaks as in the years 1984 (US$0.25/kg) and 1994 (US$0.80/kg). This makes the market unsettled and produces a negative effect on demand. In addition, highly variable prices favour market speculation. However, the industry needs a steady and regular raw supply and stable prices on which customers can rely. In addition, carob seed prices are even more fluctuating than carob kibble prices. As the main industrial application is the CBG this recurrent situation affects carob demand and thus its multiple uses.

2.5 Properties of the carob

The two main carob pod constituents are (by weight): pulp (90%) and seed (10%). Chemical composition of the pulp depends on cultivar, origin and harvesting time

Carob pulp is high (48-56%) in total sugar content (mainly sucrose, glucose, fructose and maltose) (Table 1). In addition it contains about 18% cellulose and hemicellulose. The mineral composition (in mg/ 100 g of pulp) is: K=1100, Ca=307, Mg=42, Na=13, Cu=0.23, Fe=104, Mn=0.4, Zn=0.59 It is also found the lipids to consist of approximately equal proportions of saturated and unsaturated acids and five amino acids in pod extracts (alanine, glycine, leucine, proline and valine), as well as, tyrosine and phenylalanine.

Table 1. Average composition of the carob pulp

Constituent	%
Total sugars	48-56
Sucrose	32-38
Glucose	5-6
Fructose	5-7
Pinitol	5-7
Condensed tannins	18-20
Non-starch polysaccharides	18
Ash	2-3
Fat	0.2-0.6

Source: Puhan and Wielinga (1996).

2.6 Uses of the carob

The carob is one of the most useful native Mediterranean trees. In producing countries, carob pods have traditionally been used as animal and human food and currently the main use is the seed for gum extraction. Carob pods provide fodder for ruminants and nonruminants. In the wild, carob shelter, foliage and beans attract browsing animals. The pods contain indigestible and valuable seeds. Carob timber is hard and close-grained, and has been used to make utensils as well as fuel. Carob wood also was traditionally used to make slow-burning charcoal. The pods are used after crushing to separate seed and pulp.

Owing to the high sugar content of the pod and its relatively low cost, carob pulp was among the first horticultural crops used for the production of industrial alcohol by fermentation in several Mediterranean countries. In some countries, e.g. Egypt, carob syrup is a popular drink obtained by extracting carob kibbles with water. Single-cell organisms have been used to convert carob pulp into a high-protein feed.

Milled and chopped carob pomace, which are two by-products of the carob molasses industry, were tested in Lebanon as a potting medium for plants and have shown good promise as substitutes for peat-based mixtures in nurseries.The ossible use by the food industry of natural antioxidants contained on the carob seed coat as a by-product of the CBG industry recently has raised some interest

The carob product most widely used, especially for the food industry, is the carob bean gum (CBG), or locust bean gum (LBG). This gum comes from the endosperm of the seed and chemically is a polysaccharide, a galactomannan. By weight, about a third of the seed consists of gum and it is obtained from the kernel after removal of the coat and grinding. One hundred kg of seeds yields an average of 20 kg of pure dry gum. Carob gum is produced in various degrees of purity depending on how well the endosperm is separated from the embryo and seed coat. For use as a natural food additive, known as E 410, only high grade is admitted; for pet food more residues are allowed.

Table 5. Carob bean gum uses and technical applications

Industrial use	Applications
Pharmaceuticals	Anticoeliac products, pomades, pills, toothpaste
Cosmetics	Emulsions and foams, shaving foam
Textiles	Colouring thickener
Paper	Flotation product for recovering material; thickener for surface treatment
Chemicals	Glues, colouring, polishing, dyeing, matches, pesticides
Petroleum	Flocculation additive to increase stability and thickness of welling
Mining	Flotation product
Well sinking	Wall reinforcement, moisture absorbent
Concrete	To strengthen solidification
Explosives	Water binder for explosives

Source: Adapted from Droste (1993).

3. Production of carob

As indicated earlier carob production has a long tradition, mainly for animal feeding, in most countries bordering the Mediterranean sea. More recently, it was introduced in different periods in some warm semi-arid zones of Australia, California, Arizona, Chile, Mexico, South Africa, etc. However, commercial carob production is currently concentrated in the Mediterranean region. The total carob-production area in the world is around 200 000 ha (Table 6) of which the southern countries of the European Union (Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece) with some 148 000 ha account for 74% of the growing area and about 70% of the world production (Table 7).

Table 6. Area of carob in producing countries

Country	Area (ha)	% of total production
Spain	82000	41.0
Italy	30000	15.0
Morocco	25000	12.5
Portugal	21000	10.5
Greece	15000	7.5
Cyprus	12000	6.0
Other†	15000	7.5
Total	200000	100.0

† Algeria, Australia, South Africa, Turkey, USA, etc. Source: Batlle (1997).

Commercial world production of carob pods is estimated currently around 310 000 t, and it is mainly concentrated in Spain, Italy, Portugal, Morocco, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Algeria and other countries (Table 7). There is some production in Croatia, Tunisia and Malta and small amounts are also produced in Australia, California and South Africa. Pod and seed production in different countries are not parallel because of differences in seed yields of cultivars and wild types.

Carob production in the world has declined dramatically over the past 50 years, from 650 000 t in 1945 to 310 000 t in 1997. The main reasons are low prices coupled with farming mechanization and coastal planning development. Farmers’ interest in carob in most Mediterranean countries diminished because of low pod prices and home consumption, and use of coastal land for roads, housing development and industrial estates.

Table 7. World carob pod and seed production (1997)

Country	Pod production		Seed production
	t	%	t	%
Spain	135000	43.5	12000	37.5
Italy	45000	14.5	4000	12.5
Portugal	30000	9.7	3600	11.3
Morocco	26000	8.4	4800	15.0
Greece	20000	6.5	1800	5.6
Cyprus	17000	5.5	1700	5.3
Turkey	15000	4.8	1800	5.6
Algeria	7000	2.3	800	2.5
Other†	15000	4.8	1500	4.7
Total	310000	100.0	32000	100.0

† Australia, South Africa, USA, etc.

4. CAROB TREE AND FRUIT IN GREECE & CRETE: SPECIFIC CONSIDERATIONS

As it is resulted from the previous systematic and comprehensive review of the data concerning all the aspects of the carob tree and carob fruit, carob tree is a very important element of the Greek and the Cretan countryside scenery, and the carob fruit has been used in several ways in Greece and in Crete. Our field research shows that there is constant decline of the carob production in Greece (Table 8). Table 9 contains the most recent detailed data (1998) concerning the carob plantations, the interspersed trees and the carob production in Greece.

Fig. 5. Carob production in Greece 1989 - 1995

Table 9. Number of carob trees and production of carob in Greece

Group of Communes	Compact Plantations			Number of interspersed trees	Number of trees of productive age	Production (in tons)	Average Efficiency (in kg/stremma)
	Area (in stremmas)	Number of trees	Average density
level	15.355	190.650	12,42	317.128	501.378	3.584	7,15
semi-mountainous	13.310	229.915	17,27	363.396	564.620	6.361	11,27
mountainous	21.715	300.040	13,82	336.027	540.734	8.551	15,81
Total	50.380	720.605	14,30	1.016.551	1.606.732	18.496	11,51

Source: ESYE 1998

Twenty years ago (during 80’s) Crete was producing up to 20000 tn of carobs. Today this quantity has been reduced to 5000 tn annually (Table 10) which corresponds to 25-30% of the total Greek production. In Crete, carob trees thrive in marginal and difficult soils – as it has been described in previous chapters – and demands no cultivation care (except harvesting).

Carob trees in Crete, can annually produce 10 – 500 kg / tree, according their age and specie. The young trees produce 10-20 kg/tree and year while the big trees produce 400-500 kg/tree and year. The produced carob powder (coming from carob mills) is bought by relevant animal food shops.

In Crete there are still about 10 carob mills (Table 11) most of them under operate with a marginal economical viability (mainly due to small quantities of raw material and to the production of low added value products). Through the grinding of carob fruits, carob powder is produced which is used mostly for animal food.

While in Greece and Crete there is a vertical reduction of the produced carobs, the production of Spain (during the same time) has been increased reaching today 200000 t/year,

The reduction of carob trees cultivation in Crete is mainly due to the replacement of carob trees by olive trees; in parallel there is also a serious problem concerning the labour working in the harvesting. The biggest quantities of carobs were and are still produced in Rethimnon Prefecture.

The carob price has several fluctuations e.g. in 2000 it was about 0.1676 Euro/kg while in 2001 it reached 0.205 Euro/kg due to the increase of the vegetable animal food demand after “mad cows’ scandal”. The higher price of the carob is affected and somehow determined by the price of the corn (or other products which are used for animal foods) as they include more nutritious ingredients – more food value – than the same quantity of carob.

The carob seed price ranges from 0.88 to 1.47 Euro per kg. The biggest part of the Cretan produced carob seeds are bought by a relevant industry in Athens, which produces a special substance as multi purpose food additive with remarkable characteristics (e.g. ice creams, yoghurt, mayonnaise, marmalades, sweets, soups, sauces, ketchup, diet food etc.). This substance despite its advantages faces a serious competition of chemical substances with similar properties. This industry was recently bought out by a big Greek food industry which produces ice creams etc.

5. PROSPECTS – RECOMMENDATIONS

Since the start of the 1980s this crop has raised a considerable interest because of generally sustained demand and increasing prices of the carob pods (pulp and seed). However, this trend has been sharply modified twice in the last 10 years: in 1984-85 and 1994-95 when prices peaked. The high pod prices led to a loss of competitiveness of the carob bean gum versus other natural (guar and tara) or artificial hydrocolloid substitutes, both times producing a subsequent decline of pod prices.

Carob price stabilization in the market would improve the future outlook of this crop. The revaluation of the carob pulp in animal feeding and carob powder as human food, could help to increase its demand and then to reduce the final dependency of the pod price on the kernel. In addition the ‘healthy’ and ‘light’ component of derivatives of the carob pulp (confectionery, bakery and drinks) should be fully explored.

The carob tree shows some outstanding features like rusticity, drought resistance, reduced orchard management, etc. and it is also well suited to part-time farming. In addition, modern carob orchards start bearing earlier (4th year after budding) than traditional ones and increase their yield steadily in response to minimum cultural care and lack of irrigation.

Agricultural sustainability has been increasing in importance over the years. Although carobs produce reduced yields in old plantations (1500-3000 kg/ha), in modern orchards production potential is higher (5000-7000 kg/ha). In addition, in optimum conditions carob requires a minimum of inputs compared with most other fruit, nut or vegetable crops. In many semi-arid regions and marginal soils where carob is well adapted and cultivated, the quantity and quality of irrigation water are major limitations to production. This crop has received little attention until now but is currently being re-emphasized as an alternative in dryland areas with subtropical Mediterranean climates for diversification of coastal agriculture.

Although it seems that the overall world carob production trend is rather stationary. In some countries will continue to reduce their production while a few will probably increase theirs. Production in Morocco is likely to increase in the coming years to supply its local industry for gum extraction which benefits from low labour costs. Australia also seems to be a future potential producer of pods, mainly for livestock feeding in agroforestry systems

Another factor to be considered is that the total harvested carob production is partially affected by the price level. It was assessed in commercial groves in Sicily, that 10-15% of the whole production is only collected when pod prices are rewarding for growers and even more than 50% on spontaneous isolated trees. The main production is usually harvested every year. This is also happening in some other Mediterranean growing areas.

At present, it is mainly growers of Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy who seem to be interested in carob as a crop. Most remaining Mediterranean countries maintain carob as a native tree, useful environmentally and for landscape recreation. Currently, this tree crop is included in the EU aid programme. Actions are considered in the Nut and Carob Production Organizations scheme (European Regulation number 2159/89). In addition, the carob tree was included in forestry actions of the EU (European Regulation number 2080/92).

ANNEX I

European Council’s Regulation 790/89 of 20.03.1989,

L85/6 of 30.03.1989

31989R0790
Κανονισμός (ΕΟΚ) αριθ. 790/89 του Συμβουλίου της 20ής Μαρτίου 1989 για τον καθορισμό της κατ’αποκοπή συμπληρωματικής ενίσχυσης για τη σύσταση οργανώσεων παραγωγών καθώς και του ανώτατου ορίου της ενίσχυσης για τη βελτίωση της ποιότητας και της εμπορίας στον τομέα των καρπών με κέλυφος και χαρουπιών
ΕΠΙΣΗΜΗ ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΔΑ ΑΡΙΘ. L 085 της 30/03/1989 σ. 0006 - 0006
ΕΙΔΙΚΗ ΕΚΔΟΣΗ ΕΕ ΣΤΑ ΦΙΝΛΑΝΔΙΚΑ: JEVAKAIO 3 ΤΟΜΟΣ : 28 σ. 197
ΕΙΔΙΚΗ ΕΚΔΟΣΗ ΕΕ ΣΤΑ ΣΟΥΗΔΙΚΑ: JEVAKAIO 3 ΤΟΜΟΣ : 28 σ. 197
*****
ΚΑΝΟΝΙΣΜΟΣ (ΕΟΚ) αριθ. 790/89 ΤΟΥ ΣΥΜΒΟΥΛΙΟΥ
της 20ής Μαρτίου 1989
για τον καθορισμό της κατ' αποκοπή συμπληρωματικής ενίσχυσης για τη σύσταση οργανώσεων παραγωγών καθώς και του ανώτατου ορίου της ενίσχυσης για τη βελτίωση της ποιότητας και της εμπορίας στον τομέα των καρπών με κέλυφος και χαρουπιών
ΤΟ ΣΥΜΒΟΥΛΙΟ ΤΩΝ ΕΥΡΩΠΑΪΚΩΝ ΚΟΙΝΟΤΗΤΩΝ,
Έχοντας υπόψη:
τη συνθήκη για την ίδρυση της Ευρωπαϊκής Οικονομικής Κοινότητας,
τον κανονισμό (ΕΟΚ) αριθ. 1035/72 του Συμβουλίου της 18ης Μαΐου 1972 περί κοινής οργανώσεως της αγοράς στον τομέα των οπωροκηπευτικών (1), όπως τροποποιήθηκε τελευταία από τον κανονισμό (ΕΟΚ) αριθ. 789/89 (2), και ιδίως το άρθρο 14β παράγραφος 4 και το άρθρο 14δ παράγραφος 3,
την πρόταση της Επιτροπής,
Εκτιμώντας:
ότι η κατ' αποκοπή συμπληρωματική ενίσχυση που προορίζεται να ενθαρρύνει τη σύσταση οργανώσεων παραγωγών καρπών με κέλυφος ή/και χαρουπιών πρέπει να καθορίζεται με τρόπο ώστε να αποτελεί πραγματικό κίνητρο λαμβάνοντας υπόψη, αφενός, το πολύ χαμηλό ποσοστό της παραγωγής που διατίθεται στο εμπόριο μέσω των οργανώσεων των παραγωγών και, αφετέρου, το μικρό μέγεθος των υφισταμένων οργανώσεων,
ότι όσον αφορά την ενίσχυση για τη βελτίωση της ποιότητας και της εμπορίας, που προβλέπεται στο άρθρο 14δ του κανονισμού (ΕΟΚ) αριθ. 1035/72, το ανώτατο όριο της χρηματοδοτικής συμμετοχής του κράτους μέλους και της Κοινότητας πρέπει να καθορίζεται σε ρεαλιστικό ύψος που θα λαμβάνει υπόψη το βασικό στόχο της γενετικής και καλλιεργητικής βελτίωσης και της έκτασης της δενδροκαλλιέργειας που μπορεί κάθε χρόνο να αποτελέσει αντικείμενο δράσης,
ΕΞΕΔΩΣΕ ΤΟΝ ΠΑΡΟΝΤΑ ΚΑΝΟΝΙΣΜΟ:
Άρθρο 1
Η κατ' αποκοπή συμπληρωματική ενίσχυση για τη σύσταση οργανώσεων των παραγωγών καρπών με κέλυφος ή/και χαρουπιών που προβλέπεται στο άρθρο 14β του κανονισμού (ΕΟΚ) αριθ. 1035/72, καθορίζεται ως εξής:
- 60 Ecu ανά τόνο για ποσότητα μικρότερη από 1 000 τόνους,
- 70 Ecu ανά τόνο για ποσότητα από 1 000 έως 2 000 τόνους,
- 75 Ecu ανά τόνο για ποσότητα που υπερβαίνει τους 2 000 τόνους,
καρπών με κέλυφος ή/και χαρουπιών που διατίθενται στο εμπόριο από την οργάνωση παραγωγών κατά την πρώτη περίοδο εμπορίας.
Άρθρο 2
Το ανώτατο όριο ανά εκτάριο που αναφέρεται στο άρθρο 14δ παράγραφος 2 του κανονισμού (ΕΟΚ) αριθ. 1035/72, καθορίζεται σε 300 Ecu για τα πρώτα πέντε έτη και σε 210 Ecu για τα πέντε επόμενα έτη.
Άρθρο 3
Ο παρών κανονισμός αρχίζει να ισχύει την τρίτη ημέρα μετά τη δημοσίευσή του στην Επίσημη Εφημερίδα των Ευρωπαϊκών Κοινοτήτων.
Εφαρμόζεται από την 1η Σεπτεμβρίου 1989.
Ο παρών κανονισμός είναι δεσμευτικός ως προς όλα τα μέρη του και ισχύει άμεσα σε κάθε CONSLEG - κράτος μέλος.
Βρυξέλλες, 20 Μαρτίου 1989.
Για το Συμβούλιο
Ο Πρόεδρος
C. ROMERO HERRERA
(1) ΕΕ αριθ. L 118 της 20. 5. 1972, σ. 91.
(2) Βλέπε σελίδα 3 της παρούσας Επίσημης Εφημερίδας. 89R0790 - 16/06/1995 - 8 σ.

Υπεύθυνος για την διαχείριση είναι η EUR-OP