Lukashenko sets the task to increase daily pace of grain harvesting up to 6% of the area
During today’s visit to the Olekshitsy agricultural enterprise in the Berestovitsa District, the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, sets the task for agrarians to increase the daily pace of grain harvesting to 6 percent of the area, BelTA reports
As Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister Vladimir Grakun informed the President, a third of the area of grain and leguminous crops (without corn, buckwheat and millet) has already been harvested in the country. Moreover, the Brest Region is approaching 50 percent in harvesting its area while the Vitebsk Region has barely stepped over 15 percent.
Almost 2.1 million tonnes of grain have been threshed in the republic. The harvesting rate is much higher than last year while the yield, on the contrary, is slightly lower. The undisputed leader here is the Grodno Region, with the yield standing at 49.3 centners per hectare. For comparison: the Gomel Region has only 20.3 centners per hectare.
“We have to achieve 6 percent per day [of the area which needs to be harvested] in order to receive more or less desired results,” the President set the task for the Agriculture and Food Ministry.
Even upon arrival, Aleksandr Lukashenko noticed that the weather in Belarus at this time is unpredictable. “I said during the major conference call: it either dries up, or it floods,” he added.
In this regard, the President recalled his instruction to focus on early ripening crops, especially in the northern regions. The practice of this year shows the correctness of this approach. “It’s good that there were winter barley and rapeseed. We managed to harvest the fifth part of the area in early August,” the Head of State said.
Particular attention was paid to the yield and technologies of flax cultivation. Aleksandr Lukashenko was assured that the flax processing facilities and the flax mill would be fully loaded with raw materials. But as far as the long fibre is concerned, the Vitebsk Region, unlike other regions, will fail to fulfil the task.
The Head of State noted this as a negative fact, because the Vitebsk Region is a flax-growing region. He suggested trying to sow flax in the President’s experimental field, do everything according to technology and evaluate the result.
“Flax pulling must be finished. There is a plan and it’s necessary to implement it,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.
As is traditional, the Head of State was more interested not in successes, but in problematic issues. “What is alarming about the whole harvesting campaign, particularly in the Grodno Region?” he asked.
However, as the President was assured, there are no problematic aspects either in the region, or in the district, or at the enterprise. All issues are settled in working order.
“What is alarming about the harvesting campaign countrywide?” Aleksandr Lukashenko clarified.
“All issues have been resolved with your help both with fuel and grain harvesters,” said Deputy Prime Minister Leonid Zayats.
