Poland will have to buy 4-5 million tons of grain, the Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister Andrzej Lepper was reported by PAP news agency as saying on Monday.

Speaking at a news conference in Nowy Dwor Gdanski, a town in northern Poland, Lepper said the drought and high temperature thissummer have destroyed 20 percent of Poland's grain harvest but imports will help keep prices stable.

Lepper noted that grain purchases were mainly necessary to keepanimal fodder resources on the present level. Grain imports could be avoided if farmers cut their animal stock. However, Poland would have to import dairy products and meat, he explained.

Lepper added that the effects of this year's dry weather may be felt on the consumer market, but he assured that food prices wouldnot rise drastically.

He also reminded that the government had assigned 500 million zlotys (163.9 million U.S. dollars) to help drought-hit farmers.

Source:Xinhua