New deal saves Poland euro 130 million on IACS contract

The Agency for Restructuring and Modernizing Agriculture (ARiMR) says it has succeeded in significantly reducing the cost of a new computer system to han dle European Union (EU) farm subsidies. ARiMR chairman Aleksander Bentkowski claimed yesterday that US computer giant Hewlett Packard (HP) had accepted a lmost all the conditions of a new deal set out last week for supplying Polan d with the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS). "Almost all our proposals have been accepted. Hewlett Packard acknowledged our objection s," Bentkowski told a news conference. The new deal will save Poland almost euro 130 million, compared to the original contract agreed by the previous g overnment. HP will no longer be providing support for IACS, the huge databas e of farmland, crop output, livestock and farm buildings. By renegotiating t he contract, Poland should avoid further delays in implementing IACS, which is needed to distribute EU funds. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, B1; Reuters) M.T.