Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Nikolai Sherstnev demanded strict control over the sowing of winter crops in the region

Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Nikolai Sherstnev demanded strict control over the sowing of winter crops in the region. The head of the region gave the corresponding instruction at the seminar-meeting "Increasing crop yields through the use of traditional and new technologies for sowing winter grain crops".

Speaking about the tasks for organizing and conducting autumn field work, the governor instructed the Committee for Agriculture and Food "to create operational technological groups in order to see the picture daily, how the sowing is proceeding literally in every farm". The head of the region emphasized that the implementation of all necessary agro-technical measures should be controlled. "Our task is to carry out all work qualitatively and on time, and the result will definitely be there," Nikolai Sherstnev is confident.

In his opinion, the region can earn money from rapeseed, perennial grass seeds, and grain. "For the Vitebsk region, the volumes of grain we receive are large. We can go for export and are already negotiating the supply of the first batch," the governor said.

Summing up the harvest results, Nikolai Sherstnev noted that the farmers of the Vitebsk region have achieved success this year. "There has never been such a harvest in the region before. We received 36 centners per hectare on average, which is not bad for the region, but far from what we should have. We need to increase yields and thereby increase the gross grain harvest without increasing the sown areas. No matter how we boast about our successes, everyone understands perfectly well that the crop yield in the Vitebsk region is the lowest compared to other regions," the governor said.

"In each district, there are farms that yield 60-70 centners, and in the Postavy district, "Khotily-Agro" this year harvested 80 centners," Nikolai Sherstnev emphasized and advised to analyze and study the experience of the leaders. "The conditions, the weather were the same for everyone. The human factor, professionalism or, conversely, unprofessionalism played a role," he noted.

Speaking about the tasks for the upcoming season, he said that the region needs to reach a yield of 40 centners per hectare, and this is an absolutely achievable goal. "The Vitebsk region loses a lot due to non-compliance with deadlines. We should not spread ourselves too thin and increase the number of hectares. We must achieve results through the quality of work performed, carrying it out within optimal timeframes," the governor demanded.

The seminar, attended by district heads and representatives of the regional agricultural committee, was held at the VITEBSK BROILER POULTRY FARM OJSC. In addition to the plenary session, a field trip was organized, where a demonstration of various winter crop sowing technologies was conducted with the involvement of equipment and specialists from ShTots Agro-Service IE.

Alena Tikhonova, BELTA.