On March 28, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. The first batch of birch sap has been procured by the forestry enterprises of the Vitebsk region, Oleg Gritskevich, leading engineer for secondary forest use and subsidiary agriculture of the Vitebsk Regional Production Forestry Association (PLHO), told a BELTA correspondent. Favourable weather conditions established last week allowed the Glubokskoye and Postavy forestry enterprises to be the first in the region's PLHO system to start procuring birch sap. The first batch of the drink they procured, weighing about 7 tonnes, has been sent to OJSC "Kuptsov" (formerly Glubokoye Canning Plant). In total, this spring, the region's forestry enterprises will supply 1.9 thousand tonnes of the drink to the processing enterprises of the Vitebsk Regional Consumer Union and the Vitebsk Food Industry State Enterprise. The total procurement volume will be 2.5 thousand tonnes, which is exactly how much sap was collected last year against a plan of 1.8 thousand tonnes. Under already concluded agreements, 600 tonnes of sap will be shipped to OJSC "Savushkin Product", Borisov Canning Plant, and Minsk Non-alcoholic Beverage Plant. Forestry enterprises plan to sell 50 tonnes of the drink to the public. The cost per 1 litre will be Br780. In addition, the Begomlskoye forestry enterprise has taken the initiative to organise a birch sap sales point on the Vitebsk-Minsk highway. This issue is currently being processed with the participation of sanitary and epidemiological service specialists, Oleg Gritskevich clarified. In addition, residents of the region can procure the spring drink themselves by contacting local forestry enterprises or forestries. Forestry staff will provide instructions to those wishing to do so and designate a place for tapping birch trees. For unauthorised tapping of trees, the fine for individuals ranges from 4 to 35 base units, and for legal entities, up to 500 base units (currently, the base unit is Br35 thousand; from April 1, it will increase to Br100 thousand). -0-

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