August 21, 2012

As of Monday (Aug 20), as much as 8,191,300 tonnes of grain had been gathered by farms in Belarus.

The average per-hectare yield was 3,830 kilogrammes or 350 kilogrammes more than a year before. As much as 2,102,100 tonnes of grain had been harvested in the Minsk region, 1,555,100 tonnes in the Hrodna region, 1,354,000 in the Brest region, 1,137,600 tonnes in the Mahilyow region, 1,083,700 in the Vitsyebsk region, and 958,700 tonnes in the Homyel region. Grain and leguminous crops had been harvested from 2,139,600 hectares, or 89.3% of the total sown area, as of Monday (Aug 20) morning.

Rape had been harvested from 369,800 hectares, or 87.4% of the sown area, with rape output totalling 811,700 tonnes and the average per-hectare yield being 2,200 kilogrammes. A total of 291,500 tonnes of malt barley had been gathered from 73,600 hectares, or 81.3% of the sown area. The average per-hectare yield was 3,960 kilogrammes.

As much as 1,084,200 tonnes of grain, or 91.6% of the target, had been supplied in the framework of the government's procurement programme. In particular, 249,100 tonnes of rapeseeds and 126,100 tonnes of malt barley and had been sold, or 89% and 84.1% of the respective targets. Deputy Agriculture Minister Vasil Pawlowski told reporters on July 23 that the government expected 8.8 million tonnes of grain, except corn grain, to be harvested in 2012. Last year's grain crop reportedly amounted to 6.7 million tonnes, whereas the target had been 10 million tonnes.