Farmers of the Vitebsk region have milled a million tons of grain

Vitebsk region has surpassed a harvest of 1 million tons of grains and legumes, including rapeseed. A symbolic sheaf, marking the achievement of the goal set for this agricultural year, was presented on September 9 to the chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Alexander Subbotin, in one of the fields in the Vitebsk district, reports sb.by correspondent.

The milestone proves that together much can be achieved and that the region still has reserves, emphasized Alexander Subbotin at the festive ceremony:

— Team spirit and technology helped to withstand any weather conditions. People were charged for results. This year we worked very flexibly with the equipment. We acted as synchronously as possible: we oriented ourselves according to the weather, moving machines to where there was no rain, to use them as effectively as possible. Plus, of course, — a huge thank you to the whole country! — helped with combines from Mogilev, Minsk, Grodno, and even Gomel regions. This allowed us to bring the result closer and to harvest the grain, the bread that was in the fields in a shorter time. With such joint efforts, we gathered our million. The harvest in the region is practically at the finish line, and it is planned to complete it in the coming days.

In terms of regions, the Vitebsk district, alongside the Orsha district, traditionally demonstrated a high result in the harvest. Each has over 100 thousand tons of grain. Difficult, but successful — this is how the current season is characterized by the chairman of the Vitebsk District Executive Committee Sergey Egorov:

— Despite the traditional difficulties with the weather, the district has set the bar at 100 thousand tons of grains and legumes. These days we are delivering the last tons under the state order. At the same time, the state order for rapeseed has been fulfilled by 100 percent. We are currently actively sowing winter grains. At the same time, we are harvesting straw from the fields and continuing to prepare feed. Two farms have already started harvesting corn for silage. We will continue to focus on winter grains for next year's harvest (their area will increase by 1.5 thousand hectares) and strict adherence to technological regulations. More precise adjustments will touch on the schemes for applying plant protection products against pests and weeds.

As explained by the director of the Vitebsk zonal agricultural institute Sergey Kolotkov, abundant precipitation in early summer, which exceeded the norm by four times, created optimal conditions for the spread of pests and plant diseases, which required agrarians and scientists to strengthen positions in this direction:

— To protect and preserve the harvest, we had to make an effort. We worked more and more precisely with herbicides, fungicides, and tested new preparations. Mechanizers seized literally every fine hour to treat the fields. The result, as you can see, was worth it. For example, on our fields, the gross harvest has already reached over 2 thousand tons of grain crops and 600 tons of rapeseed seeds.