BELARUS (4 February)
Area planted to winter cereals this year is similar to the past two years. However, winter cereals are in critical condition following severe cold in December and January, inadequate snow cover and frost. Spring cereals are the most important crops in the agricultural calendar of the country and severely damaged winter cereal areas are replanted in the spring. Therefore, the aggregate harvest is seen to decline only by about 390 000 tonnes in 2003 compared with 2002 harvest. The 2003 forecast cereal harvest includes 2.1 million tonnes of barley, 1.7 million tonnes of rye and 970 000 tonnes of wheat. Cereal import requirement during the current marketing year is estimated at 651 000 tonnes, which includes 405 000 tonnes of wheat, 135 000 tonnes of maize and 71 000 tonnes of rye.