January 14, 2004

Azerbaijan To Import 250,000 MT Grain From Kazakhstan In 2004

Azerbaijan will import from Kazakhstan 250,000 metric tons of grain before May 1 2004, Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister Abbas Abbasov said in Baku Tuesday.

Abbasov said Azerbaijan's private grain importers had signed contracts with traders in Kazakhstan for total imports of 300,000 tons, and that 50,000 tons had been imported in December 2003.

Azerbaijan's grain harvest in 2003 was affected by heavy rains and was about two million tons instead of the planned 2.3 million tons.

The country's annual domestic grain requirement is 3.2 million tons.