Belarus needs to import up to 500 thousand tons of grain this season due to drought

Agricultural complexes of Belarus may need to buy up to 500 thousand tons of imported grain this year against the background of a possible shortfall in harvest due to weather conditions, mainly for fodder purposes, said the head of the main department of crop production of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Nikolai Leshik, reported the Belarusian media.

“The purchase of grain outside the country is an individual issue for each region and large enterprise. In the republic as a whole, about 500 thousand tons have been calculated according to the preliminary assessment of plants (…),” said Leshik at a press conference on July 19.

At the same time, he noted that since the mass harvesting has not yet been carried out (only winter barley has been harvested so far), the situation is likely “to be adjusted towards a reduction in the volume of purchases.”

The representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food noted that the purchase of cheaper grain outside the country is an economically justified practice. “About 180 thousand tons of grain was purchased in those years when we had record harvests,” said Leshik.

According to Leshik, there will be no problem with grain for food purposes this year. “For the needs of the population – baking, cereal production, within the framework of the state order it is determined to supply 800 thousand tons of grain. And another 100 thousand tons of malting barley and 100 thousand tons of oilseed rape for margarine and fat industry. These volumes are insignificant in the total grain production – about 15%, maximum 20%. Rapeseed – about 10% of the estimated harvest,” – said Leshik.

The harvest does not cause any concerns about the quality of grain, he said.

According to Leshik, 2 million 30 thousand hectares of grain, spike and leguminous crops, as well as about 400 thousand hectares of winter and spring rape are to be harvested in the current harvesting campaign. Due to the lack of moisture in May and June, the harvesting area of grain crops decreased by more than 100 thousand hectares.

Tags: Belarus, imports, grain, wheat