Report of Agriculture and Food Minister Anatoly Khotko

Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko received a report on progress of the harvesting campaign from Agriculture and Food Minister Anatoly Khotko on 12 August.

It was noted that Belarusian farmers have to work in complicated weather conditions, which certainly greatly slows down the harvesting of cereal crops. Nevertheless, only about 20% of the crops is left to be harvested. Over 5.5 million tonnes of grain has been produced.

As of 12 August cereals and leguminous crops (excluding corn, buckwheat, and millet) were harvested on an area of over 1.7 million ha, or 79.8% of the target. The average yield stands at 32 centners per hectare, up from 27 centners per hectare in 2018. The state intends to procure 815,000 tonnes of grain. As much as 76.1% of that amount or 620,000 tonnes was secured as of 12 August.

As for the regions, the head of state was told that the situation is particularly difficult in Mogilev Oblast, northern parts of Minsk Oblast and Vitebsk Oblast. On the whole, harvesting conditions remain very complicated all over the country.

Taking into account the circumstances, Aleksandr Lukashenko personally keeps an eye on progress of the harvesting campaign. The agriculture and food minister was instructed to mobilize all the resources and do everything possible in order to gather the remaining crops with minimal losses.