September 3 2003, 15:22

Belarusian farms made $19.54 million of losses in January-June this year

Newspaper "Belorusskiy Rynok" published the country's agricultural statistics in January-July 2003. According to it, over the seven months of 2003 all categories of country's farming businesses produced agricultural products for a total value of 2.608 trillion Belarusian roubles (2,093 Belarusian roubles = $1), which in comparable prices is 16.9 percent less than the worth of products, produced over the same period last year.

Governmental forecast for 2003 stipulated a 6.5-7 percent increase in farm production.

The output in agricultural organisations (kolkhozes) decreased 22.9 percent, while that of crop farming products shrank nearly twice due to later terms of grain harvest this year.

Compared with August 1, 2002, the number of cattle with the country's livestock producers decreased by 83,500 heads, the number of cows - by 20,100 heads. The number of hogs increased by 44,500 heads (no absolute or relative figures of livestock numbers have been provided by the newspaper).

In January-July this production of animals and poultry for slaughter increased. However, the amount of milk produced decreased by 53,800 tonnes (3 percent); the number of eggs dropped by 72.1 billion (7 percent).

In the first half year of 2003 the country's agricultural organisations bore 40.9 billion Belarusian roubles of loss ($19.54 million), while in January-June 2002 they had produced 9.6 billion Belarusian roubles of profit.

As of July 1, 2003, out of the total number of agricultural organisations included into current statistical reporting, 66.4 percent were loss-making. The sum total of losses in these organisations made 107.1 billion Belarusian roubles.

Profitability rate of goods and services, produced by Belarus' farming sector in January-June 2003, was minus 3.3 percent while in the first half-year of 2002 it had been plus 1.3 percent.