March 18 2003, 10:16 UNIAN

Farms readiness to spring fieldwork in Ukraine worse than last year - statistics committee

As of March 1, 2003, readiness of Ukraine's agricultural enterprises to spring fieldwork was worse than as of the same date last year, State Statistics Committee of Ukraine has informed.

In particular, preparedness of agricultural machinery fleet was lower than last year. Thus preparedness of tractors was 75 percent against 76 percent last year with 171,000 tractors available in due order, readiness of tractor-tugged planters was 84 percent vs. 86 percent last year with 84,800 planters available in due order. Readiness of potato planters as of March 1 was 73 percent against 76 percent a year ago (with 3,700 planters available in due order), that of tractor-tugged ploughs - 86 percent vs. 87 percent in 2002 (with 73,800 ploughs in due order), that of cultivators - 84 percent vs. 86 percent last year (with 99,400 cultivators in due order).

The committee also informed that stocks of fuels and lubricating materials with agricultural producers were much lower than last year. As of March 1 they constituted: 124,800 tonnes of diesel fuel (23.2 percent less than year ago) and 27,600 tonnes of petrol (25.2 percent less than a year ago).