Belarus: Grain production exceeded level of 8 million tons

Minsk / BY. (ami) Grain production of agricultural economies in Belarus reached and exceeded the level of eight million tonnes, declared the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. As of August 25, agricultural organizations of the country formed grain production volumes at the level of 8,06 million tonnes, as opposed to 8,5 million tonnes on the same date of the previous year. The average yield totaled 37,6 centners per hectare. Agrarians harvested grains and leguminous plants (without maize) throughout 2,15 million hectares or 93,3 percent of the planned harvesting areas.

Erosion threatens to nearly the half of tillable lands

In Belarus, 2,3 million hectares or nearly 45 percent from the general areas of tillable areas are erosion-dangerous. Nearly ten percent of land areas are vulnerable to erosion, declared Vitaliy Lapa, the director of the Institute of soil sciences and agrarian chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

Erosion became the most significant variety of among all varieties of land degradation in Belarus. Losses of nutrients and humus, worsening of agrophysical and agrochemical features of lands cause the decrease of fertility of eroded land areas. The average shortages of grain harvests at slightly eroded soils totals nearly twelve percent, at moderately eroded soils 28 percent, at severely eroded soils 40 percent, shortages of cultivated crops total 20 percent, 40 percent and 60 percent respectively, flaxseed 15 percent, 34 percent and 50 percent respectively (source: agrimarket.info).