Republic

Leonid Rusak: sowing campaign to be completed by April 25

The spring sowing field works are expected to take 10-12 days this year. By April 25 the sowing campaign will be completed in the country, minister of agriculture and foodstuffs Leonid Rusak told reporters today. He noted that “the sowing season has not started as expected due to weather conditions”. Usually the spring field work peak in the first decade of April. So far only Gomel and Brest oblasts have started selective reseeding and adding fertilizers in perennial plants. In terms of the schedule the lagging makes 10 days as against last year’s spring. The minister said that “the president and the government have done everything necessary so that agricultural producers were better prepared for the sowing season than last year”. The stocks of mineral fertilizers have been made. “Even the deficit which was initially evaluated at 160 thousand tons of phosphorous and nitrogen fertilizers was eliminated. Some USD 80 million was allocated to purchase them, with the first deliveries coming today from Russia”, Leonid Rusak stated. The minister also noted that for the first time in many years the agricultural equipment has been prepared for the campaign at 100 per cent. This is despite the fact that the deterioration of agricultural equipment has reached 75-80 per cent. This year agricultural producers of Belarus will be supplied with 20 harvesters Lida-1300 by Lidagroprommash and 1300 Gomselmash farm machines. According to the chief of the ministry, the agricultural producers expect Gomselmash to come up with a new highly productive harvester – an analogue of the imported “Lexion”.