Ilya Sumarokov, Minister of Agriculture of the Irkutsk Region, spoke about the preliminary results of the harvest in 2021 at a press conference at the Interfax news agency. The head of the department noted that despite the difficult weather conditions in the region, the results in a number of areas were quite good.
Thus, the yield of potatoes this year increased by 17% (the average indicator is 176 centners per hectare (c / ha). In the organized sector (agricultural enterprises and peasant farms) 55,7 thousand tons of potatoes were harvested against 53,6 thousand tons tons a year earlier, which almost completely covers the needs of the region.
The situation is worse with outdoor vegetables. The harvest of fresh cabbage was 8,6 thousand tons, beets - 3,7 thousand tons, carrots - 6 thousand tons; onions - 3,7 thousand tons. According to the chief agronomist of one of the peasant farms in the Usolsky district, the Angara region will only have enough carrots until the end of December. In many farms, there is no closed production cycle and there is no possibility of long-term storage of the crop, so you have to quickly implement it.
Speaking about the prospects for 2022, Ilya Sumarokov emphasized that the production of cereals and legumes, oilseeds, potatoes and open field vegetables is one of the priority areas of agriculture. At the same time, the minister noted that the increase in crop production should be based on scientifically based norms for the application of mineral fertilizers, the comprehensive use of plant protection products and high-quality seed material.
- The priority goal for the region is to increase the share of elite and original seeds of its own production, as well as to improve their quality. It is planned to increase the area under crops for grains, oilseeds, as well as for potatoes and vegetables, - said Ilya Sumarokov.