BELARUS (5 October)
Latest reports point to an aggregate cereal harvest of nearly 6 million tonnes, slightly down on last year’s harvest estimated at about 6.1 million tonnes. The harvest is nearly complete and includes some 980 000 tonnes of wheat, 1.8 million tonnes of barley, 1.7 million tonnes of rye and 625 000 tonnes of maize. Aggregate cereal imports during the 2005/06 marketing year is forecast at about 525 000 tonnes, similar to the imports during the preceding marketing year. This year’s cereal imports include 240 000 tonnes of food-quality wheat, 240 000 tonnes of maize and 33 000 tonnes of barley. Cereal exports, mainly rye, is forecast at 100 000 tonnes during the 2005/06 marketing year.