Millers oppose wheat export ban

Serbia has surplus wheat and due to the war in Ukraine and fear of food shortages, the export of that grain, especially flour, should not be banned, said president of the business association of millers and pasta makers „Zitounija“, Zdravko Sajatovic.

He told Beta that the wheat surplus was at least about 500,000 to 600,000 tons, and that about 80,000 tons were consumed monthly in Serbia.

„There are four months until the harvest, which means that about 320,000 tons will be used up. It would be best to introduce quotas and monitor the situation, and ban export only if necessary. If the war in Ukraine ends quickly and export is banned, short-term distribution is made more difficult,“ Sajatovic said.

President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday that in a day or two, the decision would most likely be made to ban the export of wheat, and that the export of flour would be allowed for some time.

He pointed out that the ban on export was also not good for wheat producers, who had had unprecedented sowing costs this year due to the astronomical price of gas and they need money.

In particular, as he said, flour export should not be banned because sales were dropping, so if it was banned now, buyers would find other suppliers.

Izvor: Beta

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