Alexander Lukashenko to focus on efficient use of reclaimed land in Gomel oblast
PETRIKOV REGION, 27 April (BelTA) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko will visit the Petrikov region in the Gomel oblast on the second day of his working visit to the Chernobyl-affected regions.
One of the issues on the agenda will be efficient use of reclaimed lands and milk production with the use of intensive resource-saving technologies.
Reclaimed lands account for 38% of the total agricultural lands of the Gomel oblast. The share of reclaimed lands in the agricultural organizations is even higher, 41%, reaching around 70% in some regions of the Polesie region. The drainage system of the oblast features around 30,000km of drainage canals and hydraulic works and more than 140,000km of closed drainage systems. The drainage facilities have been in use for more than 30-40 years.
The fertility of agricultural lands had been reducing from 1992 to 1999. It went down two times on average in the oblast and even more in the regions where the share of reclaimed lands is high. The volume of rehabilitation work was down more than six times. As a result, the melioration systems on 25% of the areas were recognized as unusable or requiring reconstruction. Over 60% of drainage canals needed overhaul.
National programs have been designed to preserve and promote the use of reclaimed lands for 2000-2005 and then for 2006-2010. The programs allowed improving the state of reclaimed lands and their fertility. A range of companies of the oblast, which posses over a half of reclaimed lands, produce stable good results. More than Br130 billion will be allocated for the national program in 2010.
