BELARUS (9 February)
Latest reports indicate that winter cereals have been planted on similar areas and weather indicators point to a good crop this year. Winterkill is usually rather significant and lack of sufficient soil moisture for spring crops tend to compromise spring and summer crops. This year the prospects are for a good cereal harvest owing to above average precipitation and protective snow cover. Last year Belarus harvested some 5.6 million tonnes of cereals compared with 4.9 million tonnes in 2003. The harvest in 2004 included some 1.86 million tonnes of barley, just over 1 million tonnes of wheat and some 1.7 million tonnes of rye. Aggregate cereal imports for the current (2004/05) marketing year is estimated at 455 000 tonnes, compared with 610 000 tonnes the previous year. Belarus is set to export some 240 000 tonnes of rye during the 2004/05 marketing year.