There is no surge in demand for groats in Belarus - S. Sidorsky

September 10, Lida /Elena Prus - BELTA/. There is no panic demand for groats in Belarus, unlike in neighboring countries, stated Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky today during a working trip to Lida, answering a question from a BELTA correspondent. "The country has sufficient reserves of food products, including groats of all kinds, from buckwheat to millet and oatmeal," said the head of government. "We fully meet our needs." According to him, buckwheat is actively being harvested, and it is supplied to processing enterprises, which are operating stably. Sergei Sidorsky expressed confidence that "there will be as much buckwheat on sale as needed." He called the hype around groats "inflated." Since Belarus is a transit country, it is actively visited by both Ukrainians and Russians. "Last week, at my instruction, we inquired in the adjacent regions of Russia and found out that there is Belarusian buckwheat there," the prime minister said. "It's not a problem, we have enough of this product. Besides, in recent days, the production volumes of groats have been increased to supply the trade." If there are any interruptions in the availability of these products on the shelves, it is due to the rhythm of supply to the retail network. Sergei Sidorsky also specifically addressed the issue of the price of groats. To prevent the outflow of Belarusian buckwheat to Russia, where its price is twice as high, it was decided to slightly increase the price of this product in Belarus. At the same time, Sergei Sidorsky emphasized, buckwheat will be cheaper than outside our country. In Lida, the prime minister visited two retail outlets, familiarized himself with the product range, and inquired whether there was a shortage of any goods. He became convinced that customer demand is fully satisfied. "Stirring up unnecessary passions leads to nothing good," said the prime minister. As for the availability of butter in the retail network, there should be no problems with this product in principle. All dairy plants are supplied with milk, and processing enterprises are functioning normally. "About 80% of the total volume of butter produced in Belarus is exported," noted Sergei Sidorsky. "It costs us nothing to redirect part of the export flows to the domestic market within a day." -0-