Agricultural prices 1999/2000: sugar price and standard quality of beet (amend. regul. 1785/81/EEC)

Prices for agricultural products 1999/2000 - Sugar: The Commission proposes a freeze on the basic price for beet, the intervention price for white sugar and the manufacturing margin. As a consequence, the price proposals for sugar for the 1999/2000 marketing year are as folows: - basic price for beet: 47.67 EUR/t - minimum price for A beet: 46.72 EUR/t - minimum price for B beet: 32.42 EUR/t - intervention price for white sugar: 63.19 EUR/q - target price for white sugar: 66.50 EUR/q - intervention price for raw sugar: 52.37 EUR/q The minimum prices for A beet and B beet are unchanged (they are derived from the basic price for beet by application of a levy of 2% and 30% respectively). However, it must be noted that the actual minimum price for B beet will depend ultimately on the final rate of the levy on B beet to be fixed later by the Management Committee procedure (in accordance with Article 28 of Regulation 1785/81/EEC). For Italy, the latest available statistics indicate that this Member State is not a deficit area and consequently no derived intervention price for white sugar is proposed. As far as the reimbursement of storage costs is concerned, the Commission proposes that the amount of the monthly refund should be reduced from EUR 0.38 to EUR 0.33 per 100 kg, in view of the lower interest rates prevailing in the Community.�