A government resolution published Wednesday in the local press said the annual state order for grain would be cancelled from next year and trade would be opened up to free-market forces in the form of auctions that will be held in every region.
The Astyk company, which previously bought grain on behalf of the state at controlled prices, would have to bid on equal terms with other companies, it said.
The republic's state statistics office put this year's grain harvest at 19 million tons, down from about 22 million in 1993, largely due to drought in some areas. About 8 million tons were sold to other members of the CIS last year.
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