912,000 TONNES OF WHEAT HARVESTED IN CROATIAN FIELDS

ZAGREB, Aug 14 (Hina) - This year, Croatian farmers harvested 912,000 tonnes of wheat on 233,000 hectares of arable land. The average crop yield was low 3.91 tonnes, and according to first estimates, it was by 20 percent lower than expected. Agriculture Minister Bozidar Pankretic believes that the reduction in the yield has been caused by unfavourable weather conditions which have led to a lower quality of the harvested wheat as well. Owing to lower yield, Croatia will cut amounts of this crop for export. Instead of planned 200.000 tonnes, only 160,000 tonnes of wheat will be exported from the country. The farm minister, however, is satisfied with the implementation of a market model of the purchase of wheat. "The payment for the purchased wheat is proceeding as scheduled, and minor obstacles have been removed, so that farmers will get their money within the planned time terms," Minister Pankretic said at a news conference on Tuesday. With this year's market model being applied in the purchase of the wheat, Croatia has for the first time a wheat market on which the state (government) does not buy wheat and this business has been taken over by companies and manufactures interested in wheat. So far, 469,972 tonnes of wheat has been purchased, according to data available to the agriculture ministry. This year, the price is one kuna per kilogram in comparison to last year when it was between 0.92 and 0.95 kuna. Pankretic announced that the entire amount of the harvested wheat would be bought, regardless of its quality. (hina) ms