In Belarus, the harvesting campaign is gradually coming to an end. Farmers have already managed to harvest the main crops, potatoes and flax, reports Belta.
This year, the potato yield was more than 300 centners per hectare, which is 35 centners per hectare higher than last year.
“Produced volumes of potatoes allow us to meet the needs of the population, trade and processing. In addition, this year we received an increase in production by almost 19%. We are also creating an export potential of about 300 tons of potatoes. Basically, it is sent to the Russian Federation,” said Nikolay Leshik, head of the main department of crop production of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
He also noted the high supply of retail chains with vegetables and their export potential. So, according to him, in certain periods of the year, cabbage, carrots and beets are in great demand on the Russian market.
“The Brest region has been a leader in terms of sowing and harvesting for several years now. This is also due to climatic features, since this region is located in the southwestern part of Belarus. But it is also important to note the coherence of the work of specialists and workers of this region,” Nikolai Leshik believes.
He added that the spring this year was protracted - the vegetation of plants lagged behind by almost two weeks. However, Belarusian agrarians keep up with the schedule and complete all types of harvesting within last year's deadlines. According to the specialist, this suggests that throughout the year the regions took a rather responsible approach to organizing all types of work.
“In terms of productivity, the Grodno region can be called the absolute leader. It is located on more fertile lands than others. At the same time, it is important to pay attention to the introduction of the latest developments and compliance with the technologies for growing agricultural plants in this area. In general, all regions this year received an increase in yields for almost all crops, ”said the head of the main department of crop production of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
According to the specialist, it is difficult to predict an ideal year in terms of weather conditions, and the longest spring has become the most difficult period of this year. After all, the later the sowing is carried out, the less soil moisture reserves, and, accordingly, the worse the conditions for plant growth. In addition, low temperatures also act as a deterrent. In this regard, for a number of cultures there were some prerequisites for developmental delay.