SOVIET GRAIN PRODUCTS MINISTRY CRITICISED
The Soviet Communist Party has criticised
the country's Grain Products Ministry for failing to ensure
proper grain storage, turning out poor quality bread and for
unsatisfactory book keeping, Pravda said.
    The party daily said that losses in the industry owing to
waste and theft amounted to 7.3 mln roubles over the last two
and a half years.
    The situation was particularly bad in the Central Asian
republic of Kazakhstan, which has been severely criticised
since the ousting of its veteran leader Dinmukhamed Kunayev
last December.
    Its new leader, Gennady Kolbin, has said that at times the
grain-growing republic has performed so badly that it has been
obliged to seek grain supplies from national reserves.
    Tass news agency announced yesterday that Grain Products
Minister Grigory Zolotukhin, 75, was being retired and replaced
by Alexander Budyka, a senior food industry official.
    Pravda added today that the crisis in the industry had been
drawn to Zolotukhin's attention and two of his deputies
reprimanded.
 REUTER
