Alexander Kosinets: If there is bread, there will be milk
Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Alexander Kosinets congratulated SPC "Olgovskoye" on the millionth threshed grain in the Vitebsk region and outlined the main tasks in the development of the agro-industrial complex of the northern region of Belarus.
- We must work the land daily, with love, and it will repay us a hundredfold, - emphasized the governor, addressing the grain growers of the leading farm of the Vitebsk district right in the wheat field. – This year, the weather conditions in April, when winter immediately turned into summer, affected the results of the harvest; we finished sowing in the third decade of May. Due to climatic conditions, we are a month behind other regions of the country. The western regions of the oblast were particularly affected. But everything is being done to ensure that the farms of the Vitebsk region reach the level of development demonstrated by SPC "Olgovskoye" in the near future. The grain yield here is over 51 centners per hectare, over 80% of the areas have been harvested, and 9 thousand tons have been threshed.
The agro-industrial complex of the Dvina region has huge potential. In recent years, rural workers have achieved stable results in their work, which indicates the correct choice of tactics and strategy for land use.
The "Clean Fields" program is being implemented in the region, thanks to which, from 2009 to 2012, shrub vegetation was cleared and waterlogged areas were eliminated over an area of 140 thousand hectares. For example, in the Vitebsk district alone, arable land increased by 17 thousand hectares in four years. This made it possible to ensure 100% hectare fullness and economical operation of modern tractors and combines.
- The machine and tractor fleet is being modernized, and the structure of sown areas is being improved. The focus is on high-yield crops – wheat, triticale, with more legumes, buckwheat, and corn being sown. A balanced land use system and agrochemical measures will lead to the main result – increased soil fertility. We need to catch up with other regions in the application of potash and phosphorus fertilizers, - says Alexander Kosinets. – And in two years, we will move from extensive to intensive farming.
Last year, Vitebsk region achieved a record result in meat production. The task has been set to increase milk production to 1.3 – 1.5 million tons within three years. The modernization of dairy farms is in full swing. This year, not a single farm will be left with bucket milking. The number of milking parlors in complexes has already increased fivefold. Therefore, there is no doubt that the "Milk" program will be completed ahead of schedule. The Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee emphasized that the fundamental restructuring of the meat and dairy processing industry has led to an increase in the export potential of the northern region of the country, and the results in animal husbandry are closely linked to successes in crop production.
Svetlana DEDINKINA
Photo by Alexander Khitrov