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Belarus aims to harvest 8.5m tonnes of grain in 2019

SHKLOV DISTRICT, 25 March (BelTA) – Belarus plans to harvest at least 8.5 million tonnes of grain this year, Belarus' Agriculture and Food Minister Leonid Zayats told the media on 25 March, BelTA has learned.

“We are planning to harvest at least 8.5 million tonnes of grain, 700,000 tonnes of colza, 5 million tonnes of sugar beet, and 180,000 tonnes of flax straw,” Leonid Zayats said. He expressed hope that 2019 will yield more than the country got last year.

The minister hailed good weather conditions that have been contributing to field work. For comparison: in 2018, the sowing campaign was launched in early April. Today the sowing is underway in almost every region of Belarus. Almost 50% and 30% of all spring grain crops have been sown in Brest Oblast and Gomel Oblast respectively.

“This year’s goal is to increase crop production by at least 1.2 times. Therefore, early spring requires mobilization and good organization in order to sow early spring grain crops as quickly as possible. Winter crops are in good condition,” Leonid Zayats said.

The minister added that the farms, especially those located in the south of Belarus, are focused on growing non-traditional crops for Belarus, which can bring good profits. “We have individual farms, enterprises, and private businessmen who grow warm-weather crops. Today, we can see that we need to reorient our farming system,” the minister said.

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