We have an excess of our own grain. What does this mean for the economy of Belarus and what benefit does it bring to the state?

cherikovnews.by 8 September 2026 13:57 In Belarus, cereal grain and grain legume crops have been harvested. Only small areas of buckwheat and spring rapeseed remain. About 9.2 million tonnes of grain with rapeseed have been harvested. With the upcoming corn harvest, the total gross yield will be 11.5 million tonnes. But for the country, it is not just an impressive figure; it is the fact that for the first time in years we are not buying grain abroad. We have an excess of our own. What does this mean for the economy of Belarus and what benefit does it bring to the state? To this question, the online publication sb.by answers Sergey KRAVTSOV, CEO of the State Research Institute “Scientific and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus on Agriculture”:

— For food purposes we need just over 1 million tonnes of grain. The rest goes to forage, i.e., for livestock. Let’s see how much more profitable domestic grain is for farms compared to imported grain. Each farm and each crop has its own cost of grain. But on average we can talk about a figure of about 350 rubles per tonne. So imagine that imported grain would cost about 500 rubles. Obviously, the cost of livestock products in the second case would be significantly higher.

At the same time, we must consider the time we live in. Conflicts are raging worldwide. Transport infrastructure is constantly at risk. For grain-importing countries, there is always a risk of supply shortfall. This year at the “Belagro-2026” exhibition, a representative of the United Arab Emirates stated that his country is a pure importer of food products. 80 percent of them are imported from abroad. Egypt holds the status of the world’s largest wheat importer, purchasing 11–13 million tonnes annually to ensure food security. Many such states as Indonesia, Algeria, Morocco, Turkey purchase large amounts of

And Belarus, having an abundance of its own grain, can build and carry out ambitious plans for food exports. That is the essence of a successful agricultural economy! As specialists say, after passing through farms, grain becomes livestock product, which is significantly more profitable to sell

I have been to many countries. And I’ll say honestly: there is no such assortment of food as in Belarus anywhere. Moreover, when I saw our products on the shelves of foreign stores, I felt pride for my country. It managed, in a short period by historical standards, not only to provide its citizens with all kinds of food, to create an effective agricultural economy, but also to become a noticeable player in foreign markets.

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