In the Vitebsk region, the areas for winter rapeseed for feed need to be increased by 2 times - Nikolai Sherstnev
In the Vitebsk region, grain harvesting remains on 319 thousand hectares. The harvest is proceeding significantly ahead of schedule, and the region ranks second in the republic, second only to the Brest region. This year, the region plans to complete the harvest 2-3 weeks earlier. "After the harvest is completed, we need to immediately proceed to plowing, applying organic fertilizers, and sowing winter rapeseed. This reserve of 2-3 weeks should be used to lay the foundation for the 2022 harvest, with an emphasis on sowing cruciferous and winter crops. The planned target for winter rapeseed next year is 22 thousand hectares, but to create a feed safety cushion, we must increase the sown areas for it to 50 thousand hectares. Districts need to utilize abandoned lands used for pastures and other purposes. It makes no sense for livestock complexes to enter winter with their current livestock numbers if they do not have sufficient feed. This year, we will check which farms can provide cattle with feed for adequate weight gain. And if we find an imbalance somewhere, we will confiscate the cattle and redistribute them to complexes that can guarantee proper care. There is no need to cling to livestock and torment cows; we should keep the number of animals that the farm can provide with the amount of feed it has," Nikolai Sherstnev instructed the chairmen of district executive committees.
Chairman of the Committee for Agriculture and Food of the Regional Executive Committee Sergey Egorov noted that on average, 10 days remain until the end of the harvest campaign in the Vitebsk region. "As of August 9, 7 agricultural organizations have completed the grain harvest. The main part of the farms is at the equator of the harvest. Now we need to fulfill the state order. The Sharkovshchina district has fully fulfilled the state order for grain delivery, and there are several districts that are approaching the 100% plan, including Polotsk, Dokshitsy, and others," he emphasized.
Sergey Egorov added that the region's farms are fully supplied with fuel at the expense of the regional budget, so the state order must be fulfilled first. It is also necessary to intensify the harvesting of spring rapeseed, which will be supplied to the Vitebsk Oil Extraction Plant and the Minsk Margarine Plant. "Farm managers must understand that after delivering the required volume of rapeseed, they will have funds for wages and the purchase of spare parts for agricultural machinery," said the chairman of the regional agricultural committee.
Nikolay Sherstnev also set the task to increase the total sown area in order to harvest 1.5 million tons of grain next year. "In the Vitebsk region, agriculture is constantly working under напряженном режиме: sometimes it's flooded, sometimes it's dry. We won't win with yield, so we need to win with the volume of sown areas. Now we are harvesting from 300 thousand hectares of land, and we need to increase it to at least 400 thousand hectares. Then we will be able to harvest one and a half million tons of grain, both to fulfill the state order and to provide ourselves with seed and fodder," the head of the region emphasized.
The teleconference also addressed issues of straw harvesting, plowing, sowing of winter crops, transportation, and application of organic fertilizers. Nikolay Sherstnev set the task to intensify work and maximize the utilization of equipment, complete the harvest, and begin laying the groundwork for next year's harvest.