August 7 2003, 11:50

Uzbekistan harvests over 5.1 mln t grain

Uzbekistan's farmers have harvested over 5.1 million tonnes of grain, the news agency UzA informs. Grain yield on the irrigated areas has averaged this year 4.4 tonnes per hectare. An official, responsible for grain farming in the country's ministry of agriculture and water resources has told the reporter that in 1990's grain yields in the former Soviet republic averaged 2.22 tonnes per hectare and the grain crops - about 940,000 tonnes.

"This year the crop has increased 5.7 times from that period", the official said.

Grain cereal crops in the country are grown today on 1.1 million hectares of irrigated land, which is 5 times up from the level of 1990's.