July 31 2003, 12:00 APK-Inform

Belarus: outcomes of sowing and progress of harvesting campaign in 2003

Weekly newspaper "Belorusskiy Rynok" has published summarised report on the outcomes of the sowing campaign in 2003. According to the report, total sown area of agricultural crops to be harvested in 2003 has constituted 5.574 million hectares, which is by 80,000 hectares or 1 percent less than in 2003.

According to the newspaper, in state-controlled agricultural organisations the sown area decreased by 84,000 hectares (2 percent), in commercialised farming enterprises - by 2,500 hectares (3 percent). In private households of Belarusian peasants it increased by 6,000 hectares (0.6 percent).

Farming system in Belarus is based predominantly on state-controlled Soviet-like agricultural enterprises, called kolkhozes.

In these organisations the sown areas of grains and pulses to be harvested in 2003 have decreased by 54,200 hectares (2 percent) from last year, of rape - by 25,900 hectares (26 percent), of potato - by 9,500 hectares (14 percent), of feeding root crops - by 15,400 hectares (29 percent).

According to the newspaper, the sown areas of the following crops, have been increased: of triticale - by 138,500 hectares (60 percent), of sugar beet - by 18,100 hectares (34 percent), of vegetables - by 7,600 hectares (58 percent), of flax - by 2,700 hectares (4 percent).

The newspaper further informs that as of July 1, 2003 the area of grains and pulses to be harvested in the kolkhozes constituted 2.148 million hectares, or 92 percent of the area sown. 132,800 hectares (5.7 percent of the plantings) have been degraded as such which are to be harvested for feed purposes; 56,300 hectares (2.4 percent) have been depreciated due to complete loss or damage.

Harvest of early grains and pulses in the country is now in progress. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, as of July 30 the grains and pulses (excluding maize) were harvested from the area of 236,700 hectares, which is 11.02 percent of the area, projected for harvesting. 625,310 tonnes of grain have been threshed with the average yield 2.749 tonnes per hectare (by 0.028 tonne per hectare more than in 2002).