MINSK, 5 December (BelTA) – Belarus intends to buy 600,000-700,000 tonnes of grain abroad, BelTA learned from Belarusian Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister Vladimir Grakun on 5 December.
The official said: “This year we've gathered 1.8 million tonnes of grain less than last year. I would like to note that we have enough food grain, which means cereal, bread and flour products. Poultry farms may need to buy grain abroad. Since we have the state reserve, there are plans to buy around 600,000-700,000 tonnes.”
The purchases will be made via a tender. “Companies, which will have to buy grain, will have to call for tenders and decide on the most profitable prices for Belarus. The oblasts may have to go ahead with centralized tenders. We are going to buy from those, who offer the lowest price and the best terms. Various countries are under consideration, including Russia and Ukraine,” said the deputy agriculture and food minister.
May 2018 and the beginning of summer 2018 was a dry spell. According to the national weather service Belgidromet, the average air temperature in the country was 16.9C, 3.5C above the climate normal. It was the warmest May on record. In that month Belarus had 29mm of rains on the average or 49% of the climate normal. Such low precipitation figures happen roughly once in ten years. As far as early June is concerned, air temperature in the country averaged 16.6C, one degree above the climate normal. Precipitation totaled 2.6mm or only 10% of the climate normal. The lack of rains affected the consequent harvest. Some of the crops were damaged.
