Almost 16 thousand hectares of pastures in household farms are planned to be improved in the Vitebsk region

April 17, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Almost 16 thousand hectares of pastures in private farms are planned to be improved this year in the Vitebsk region, the Agriculture and Food Committee of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee informed a BELTA correspondent. Last year, the region conducted an inventory of pastures for livestock from private farms for the first time. The total area was 32.8 thousand hectares. However, 21.7 thousand hectares of them require improvement. In 2009, over 5 thousand hectares were sown and re-sown. Agricultural enterprises, dairy plants, and individual entrepreneurs are involved in collecting surplus milk from the population in the region. Among the leaders are the Dokshitsky, Lioznensky, and Rossonsky districts, but overall in the region, the average purchase per cow in the private sector is still lower than last year. To prevent animal diseases, all livestock will be tested for leukemia and tuberculosis at the expense of the budget. As of January 1, 2010, there were 35.4 thousand cows in private subsidiary farms. Last year, agricultural enterprises in the region allocated 59.7 thousand tons of hay and 7.9 thousand tons of straw for private farms. -0-