August 4, 2010

Belarus expects sufficient grain this year

Belarus will have sufficient grain in 2010, Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister of Belarus Vasily Pavlovsky told a press conference on August 3.

This year, Belarusian agricultural companies are supposed to gather in 7.5-7.6 million tonnes of grain while individuals will collect around 0.5 million tonnes (excluding corn). The corn crop acre is supposed to increase up to 200,000 hectares, said the Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister.

As of August 3, Belarusian farmers gathered in 67% of the targeted amount of grain crops and leguminous crops, five million tonnes of grain with the average yield at 30.6 centners per hectare. The lower yield is attributed to the shorter vegetation period of the crops. Vasily Pavlovsky pointed out that the crop yield is about 8.7 centners per hectare lower than in 2009.

Gomel Oblast and Mogilev Oblast are at the forefront, with over 80% of the harvested acreage of grain crops and leguminous crops mowed. The figure in Brest Oblast is close to 70%, in Vitebsk Oblast, Minsk Oblast, and Grodno Oblast – close to 60%.