Buckwheat is being harvested in the Vitebsk region
Not only industrial enterprises have learned to pay maximum attention to import substitution in the new economic conditions. Farmers too. Just a few years ago, almost all buckwheat groats in Belarus were imported from other countries, and prices for this product soared with every fluctuation of the currency market. Then the President instructed to increase buckwheat sowing on domestic fields, which was done. For example, in the Vitebsk region last year, only 700 hectares were allocated for this crop, and this year - 2.5 thousand.
Buckwheat harvesting in the northern region is gaining momentum. 10 percent of the areas have already been threshed. The yield is pleasing - 12.5 centners per hectare. And if last year there were certain difficulties (many buckwheat crops were lost, fruits set poorly), then this year Vitebsk farmers expect to get a decent harvest and deliver a thousand tons of grain to meet the state order.
Among those who started cultivating the strategic crop for the first time is the Gorodok district. We visited its buckwheat fields together with **Sergey Ermakovich, Head of the Agriculture and Food Department of the District Executive Committee.** He spoke about how successful the experiment was:
— The Vitebsk region is a zone of risky farming. As for the Gorodok district, the risks can be safely squared. For example, a year ago, winter rapeseed pleased us, and last autumn we decided to increase the acreage. As a result, spring frosts destroyed more than half of the crops.
— Nothing complicated, — the men smile. — *«Polesie» has the necessary settings for buckwheat, of course, carefulinally adjusted all the mechanisms. True, there is a nuance: even on a clear day, you can't go out into the field before lunch – the crops take a long time to dry from dew. But unlike wheat or rye, buckwheat is in no hurry to lose its grains. The yield is now 10-12 centners per hectare, we will manage to harvest everything.
First of all, the Gorodok agrarians plan to fulfill the state order of 50 tons. Now the harvest is being taken to an open-air dryer in the village of Kholomerie – there the "black gold" reaches the proper condition before being sent to the consumer. Vyacheslav Krutov, the manager of this department, admits: he has been in agriculture for about 40 years, but he has never dealt with buckwheat before.
Sergey Ermakovich, scooping up a handful of fresh grains, checks the moisture content and notes:
— The taste of domestic groats is completely different from imported ones. Ours is tastier! The Gorodok poultry farm once sowed 12 hectares for its own apiary needs. They threshed the plot and sold the harvest in their own stores. Customers praised the groats very much.
Whether this crop has a future in the northern region and how well it will adapt to the unpredictable local climate, time will tell. Agrarians of the Gorodok district say: it is too early to draw conclusions based on one year. The main thing is that the trial run was successful, and our own buckwheat is entering the granaries.
FIGURES
In Belarus, 34 thousand hectares are allocated for buckwheat fields – 4.5 thousand more than last year (excluding small farms). Minsk, Gomel, and Brest regions lead in sown areas. The average yield in the country is about 13 centners per hectare, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
Buckwheat harvesting in the northern region is gaining momentum. 10 percent of the areas have already been threshed. The yield is pleasing - 12.5 centners per hectare. And if last year there were certain difficulties (many buckwheat crops were lost, fruits set poorly), then this year Vitebsk farmers expect to get a decent harvest and deliver a thousand tons of grain to meet the state order.
Among those who started cultivating the strategic crop for the first time is the Gorodok district. We visited its buckwheat fields together with **Sergey Ermakovich, Head of the Agriculture and Food Department of the District Executive Committee.** He spoke about how successful the experiment was:
— The Vitebsk region is a zone of risky farming. As for the Gorodok district, the risks can be safely squared. For example, a year ago, winter rapeseed pleased us, and last autumn we decided to increase the acreage. As a result, spring frosts destroyed more than half of the crops.
The small contour of the fields, low soil fertility, a lot of environmentally friendly land - the conditions themselves push us to find the most effective farming methods. So, the Gorodok farmers look with hope at buckwheat, although it is quite capricious.This crop loves moisture, and there are plenty of rains in the district. We stop at a field near the village of Ezerishche. **Harvesters of KUSKhP named after Sverdlov, Vasily Leonenko and Sergey Kuksinsky**, are natives of these lands. They have good experience in farming, but this is their first time harvesting buckwheat.
— Nothing complicated, — the men smile. — *«Polesie» has the necessary settings for buckwheat, of course, carefulinally adjusted all the mechanisms. True, there is a nuance: even on a clear day, you can't go out into the field before lunch – the crops take a long time to dry from dew. But unlike wheat or rye, buckwheat is in no hurry to lose its grains. The yield is now 10-12 centners per hectare, we will manage to harvest everything.
First of all, the Gorodok agrarians plan to fulfill the state order of 50 tons. Now the harvest is being taken to an open-air dryer in the village of Kholomerie – there the "black gold" reaches the proper condition before being sent to the consumer. Vyacheslav Krutov, the manager of this department, admits: he has been in agriculture for about 40 years, but he has never dealt with buckwheat before.
Sergey Ermakovich, scooping up a handful of fresh grains, checks the moisture content and notes:
— The taste of domestic groats is completely different from imported ones. Ours is tastier! The Gorodok poultry farm once sowed 12 hectares for its own apiary needs. They threshed the plot and sold the harvest in their own stores. Customers praised the groats very much.
Whether this crop has a future in the northern region and how well it will adapt to the unpredictable local climate, time will tell. Agrarians of the Gorodok district say: it is too early to draw conclusions based on one year. The main thing is that the trial run was successful, and our own buckwheat is entering the granaries.
FIGURES
In Belarus, 34 thousand hectares are allocated for buckwheat fields – 4.5 thousand more than last year (excluding small farms). Minsk, Gomel, and Brest regions lead in sown areas. The average yield in the country is about 13 centners per hectare, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.