The first combine harvester operator to reach a thousand tons appeared at the harvest in the Vitebsk region

Andrei Belyaev, a tractor driver-machinist at Vitebsk Meat Processing Plant JSC, threshed over 1,000 tons of rapeseed in three farms in Sennensky District. The mechanizer was congratulated on his first significant milestone in the current harvest by the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Nikolai Sherstnev, as well as representatives of the district executive committee, trade union organization, and the enterprise.

"In recent years, crop harvesters have shown excellent results not only on the best lands but also in weaker agricultural regions. For the first time, we have a thousand tons not of grain, but of rapeseed, here in Sennensky District. Such a result does not come by itself: it is the result of technology, the work of the agronomist, the mechanizer, and the local authorities," emphasized Nikolai Sherstnev.

The head of the regional executive committee noted the difficult conditions under which farmers have to work. "The grain harvest has begun throughout the region, but due to the weather, it has not yet gained momentum: combines go out to the fields for a week, but in some regions, they return empty-handed due to rains. During this time, only 5% of the areas have been harvested – the same amount that is harvested in our fields in a day with good weather. Of course, this is concerning. There are many grain areas that are already lying down and overgrown. On some fields, grain is sprouting in the ear. Losses are already inevitable. At the same time, the forecast for next week is encouraging, so we need to use every hour, every minute as effectively as possible," stressed the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee.

Nikolai Sherstnev has no doubts about the latter: after lunch, the second crew to reach the thousand-ton mark appeared in the fields of Orsha Agro-Association, and next week the region should see the first crew that has threshed 1,000 tons of grain.