Vitebsk region forestry enterprises will plant berry, mushroom, and medicinal herb plantations in the spring

November 4, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. Forestry enterprises of the Vitebsk region will plant berry, mushroom and medicinal herb plantations in the spring of 2010, Oleg Gritskevich, leading engineer for secondary use of subsidiary agriculture of the Vitebsk Production Forestry Association, told a BELTA correspondent. In accordance with the regional program "Forest", hazelnut plantations with a total area of 5 hectares will appear in Beshenkovichi, Lepel, Orsha, Polotsk and Ushachi forestry enterprises. Rosehip (1.5 ha) will be planted in Dretun and Ushachi. 0.5 hectares each will be allocated for oyster mushroom cultivation in Богушевский, Gluboksky, Lepel, Liozno, Surazh and Shumilino forestry enterprises. It is also planned to plant 3 hectares of chokeberry, 2 hectares of blackcurrant, 1.5 hectares of coriander, 1 hectare of dill and 0.10 hectares of strawberries. Meanwhile, groundwork for the future has already been laid this year: 43 hectares of New Year trees have been planted in the region's forestry enterprises, and the first mushroom and berry plantations have appeared. Seed material for the plantations is planned to be purchased from the Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences in Minsk, as well as from the Gluboksky forestry enterprise. To ensure crop preservation, locations for future lands are chosen in nurseries or near the administrations of forestry enterprises. The forestry association has no doubts about the demand for its products. The monitoring conducted showed that pharmaceutical manufacturers and a number of other enterprises are interested in purchasing medicinal herbs. For example, the Vitebsk Winery, which has resumed tea production. Nuts are needed by bakery enterprises. Oyster mushrooms and strawberries are in constant demand among the population. -0-