Belarus intends this year to stop importing buckwheat from Russia, having increased its production to full providing domestic market, said on Wednesday the head of the Main Department of foreign economic activity at the Ministry of agriculture Alexei Bogdanov.
Earlier the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko ordered to make "decent" amount of buckwheat to the domestic market because, according to him, Russia has refused to sell it to the rump Republic.
"the President has decided, and it is absolutely true, is to increase the amount of acreage of buckwheat in half, which will allow us this year to provide under 100 percent of the needs of our domestic market in the amount of 20 thousand tons of buckwheat. Order to increase the volume of domestic production will allow us to fully provide itself with buckwheat, and even some export to the markets of other States" — quoted Bogdanov Sputnik of Belarus.
As explained Bogdanov, Belarus imports of buckwheat from Russia since the Soviet era, as the soil and climatic conditions in Russia it is easier to produce different types of cereals, including buckwheat. So they set up a continuous supply and long-term contracts, he said.
"Belarus are a good trading partner, and Russia is beneficial to supply us with buckwheat, which we’re a little neproizvol in our Republic. And then suddenly, like a bolt from the blue we get a refusal to supply. It was a big surprise, because in the framework of the Union state could not even ship the paid contracts and wagons already loaded stood, were issued phytosanitary certificates", — said the representative of the Belarusian Ministry.
He noted that it could not remain without attention of the head of state, which instructed to deal with the situation promptly. As told Bogdanov, restrictions were imposed on March 20 and on March 21, a telephone conversation of Prime Ministers of Belarus and Russia, they discussed this issue. Then almost a month, until 15 April, when the restrictions were lifted — this issue has been dealt with experts at different levels, said Bogdanov.
According to him, the volumes of supply of buckwheat from Russia in March fell by 70% compared to the same month last year. In General, the first quarter of this year from Russia to the Belarusian market remain almost 20% of buckwheat, said the representative of the Ministry of agriculture.
Earlier on Wednesday, commenting on the words of Lukashenko, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Victoria Abramchenko said that Russia agreed to supply Belarus seven thousand tons of buckwheat and two thousand tons of rice after talks last week, just have been shipped 2,756 thousand tons of the Russian buckwheat.
