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Belarus’ grain crop at 8.9m tonnes in 2015
MINSK, 7 September (BelTA) – Belarus has harvested 8.9 million tonnes of grain this year, Agriculture and Food Minister of Belarus Leonid Zayats said in an interview to the ONT TV Channel, BelTA has learned.
“The total crop made up 8.9 million tonnes. The average yield stood at 39.7 centners per hectare, 0.5 centners up on 2014,” said Leonid Zayats.
The country gathered 540,000 tonnes of grain fewer that last year. According to the minister, it was due to difficult weather conditions: a snowless winter, no rains in spring and a hot summer. “It affected Gomel and Mogilev Oblasts the most,” Leonid Zayats explained. At the same time Brest, Grodno and Minsk Oblasts showed the crop yields above 40 centners per hectare.
According to the minister, today Belarus sells food products to 65 countries (45 countries in 2014). In January-July 2015 the country earned $2.6 billion on the export of food.