The output of Belarus' food industry increased by 8.9 percent year-on-year in the first seven months of 2010, said the National Statistics Committee.
In particular, sugar output increased by 39.5 percent to 394,600 tons, the Committee said. As of August 1, unsold stockpiles of sugar totaled 77,000 tons, or 40 percent more than the average monthly output and 28.7 percent less than a month before.
The output of meat reportedly increased by 7.4 percent year-on-year to 329,900 tons; of canned fruit and vegetables by 32.5 percent to 237.7 million cans; of fruit wines by 4.3 percent to 10.1 million decaliters; of grape wines by 13.4 percent to 1,220,000 decaliters; of vegetable oil by 32.5 percent to 56,600 tons; and of beer by 9.5 percent to 22.3 million deciliters.
The output of vodka decreased by 0.9 percent to eight million decaliters, brandies by 15.1 percent to 124,000 decaliters, butter by 15.3 percent to 60,700 tons and canned fish by 11.1 percent to 7.6 million cans.
As of August 1, unsold stockpiles of grape wines exceeded the monthly output by 60 percent, of canned fruit and vegetables by 200 percent and of brandies by 280 percent.
Forty-three companies in the food industry, or 11.7 percent of the total number, reportedly operated at a loss in the first seven months of 2010, with their net losses amounting to about 45.5 billion rubels. In the same period of 2009, 92 companies in the food industry, or 24.9 percent of the total number, were unprofitable, with their net losses totaling 298 billion rubels.
