Format of balance sheets for Belarusian-Russian food deliveries could be changed in context of agricultural integration
MINSK. Nov 12 (Interfax) - Belarusian Minister of Agriculture and Food Anatoly Khotko says it may be possible to change the format of balance sheets for food deliveries as part of Russia's and Belarus's roadmap for deepening agricultural integration, or even cancel them.
"Maybe the format of these balance sheets will be revised, given that there are plans to sign roadmaps. We'll see to what extent we need them in general," Khotko said, according to the state news agency BelTA.
He said this issue could be discussed at an upcoming meeting with Russian Agricultural Minister Dmitry Patrushev.
"If we're approving a united agrarian policy, the question of the need for these balances is relevant," Khotko said.
Still, the existence of supply-and-demand balance sheets "does not constrain" the Belarusian side, he said.
The sides are working on balances for 2020, Khotko said: "We'll decide on them at a bilateral meeting."
When asked about difficulties in the adoption of a roadmap for agriculture, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Dvornik said, "I don't see big difficulties. It's just that today areas are being optimized to put us on the same page and give us a united area for our development."
Khotko described the difficulties as "routine." "Discussion and reconciliation of all normative documents are underway. [...] I can't say that the process is smooth, but the issues that are arising are mostly technicalities, and we're tackling them at the bilateral level," he said.