Lukashenko: Belarus needs to crop at least 9.5m tonnes of grain this year

      President Aleksandr Lukashenko made working trip to Nesvizh District to follow the progress of the harvesting campaign. “We need to focus on the harvest season now. The election campaign is secondary to this,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. This year’s harvest, including maize, should make up at least 9.5 million tonnes, Belarus President pointed out:

(soundbite)

When we are talking about the crop of 8 million tonnes, we mean cereals. Maize will give us another 1.5 million tonnes. Thus, 9.5 million tonnes is a minimum we need to crop this year. We can do it.

     According to Agriculture and Food Minister Ivan Krupko, some 19% of the areas under grain and leguminous crops have been harvested so far. The average yield is 37.6 centners per hectare. In Nesvizh District, Aleksandr Lukashenko visited the agricultural enterprise Novaya Zhizn where he was briefed on the progress in the harvesting campaign in Minsk region and the country as a whole.

The president got familiar with the work of farm machines harvesting a winter wheat field where the yield reaches 100 cents per hectare.