Vitebsk region farmers have begun soil preparation for sowing
"Soil cultivation and plowing are underway. Some farms have started top dressing. We are not planning large-scale operations yet due to the expected temperature drop this week. They will begin en masse in the second decade of March. Sowing will likely start in early April, but everything will depend on the weather," specialists said.
Winter crop overwintering, according to preliminary data, was quite successful. On some low-lying field sections, slight yellowing of plants is noted, caused by soil over-moistening, but such sections are few. "Large-scale surveys have not yet been conducted, but we have no particular concerns," the committee added.
This year, the grain acreage in the Vitebsk region will be 450 thousand hectares, including 213 thousand hectares of winter cereals and 75 thousand hectares of legumes. The area for cruciferous crops will be 110 thousand hectares (58 thousand hectares of winter crops), 13 thousand hectares are allocated for flax, 2 thousand hectares for potatoes, 90 thousand hectares for silage corn, and almost 0.4 thousand hectares for vegetables.