29 February 2012
Gomel Oblast to export corn grain in 2012
GOMEL, 29 February (BelTA) – Gomel Oblast is planning to start selling corn grain domestically and also exporting it abroad in 2012, Chairman of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee Vladimir Dvornik told a press conference on 29 February. Last year agricultural enterprises expanded the areas sown with corn by 40%. Thus they managed to harvest 360,000 tonnes of corn grain and met the demand of the livestock sector in feed. In 2012 the areas under corn crops will be increased by 50,000 hectares. “We do not need to ramp up the volumes of silage stocks because we will not be able to increase the stock of cattle so fast. But corn grain is a marketable product which we can sell domestically and internationally,” said Vladimir Dvornik. In 2011 the yield of crop grain in Gomel Oblast averaged about 75 centners per hectare. Thus, additional gross yield will make up 370-380,000 tonnes and gross income (in average prices) $65-68 million.БЕЛТА