Gross harvest yield in Belarus exceeds 7.4mn tonnes

As of August 18 the gross grain harvest in Belarus has exceeded 7.4 million tonnes, BelTA learnt from the main plant growing department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. The Minsk oblast remains the harvest campaign leader with 1,862.600 tonnes. The Grodno oblast has harvested 1,446.800 tonnes, the Brest oblast 1,201.000 tonnes. The Mogilev oblast has cropped 1,060,700 tonnes, Gomel 1,021.100 tonnes and Vitebsk oblast 816,500 tonnes. The average yield this year is 37.6 centners per hectare. The highest yield is in the Grodno oblast: 47.6 centners per hectare or 11 centners higher than in 2007. The grain yield in the Brest and Mogilev oblast is 6-7 centners up from last year. All in all, Belarus has harvested 84.3% of the total areas under grain crops and leguminous plants, or 1.944,400 hectares. The target set by the head of state to gather in 80% of the cropping area by August 20 has been met. Some 4.4% remains to be harvested in the Gomel oblast, 9.6% in the Brest oblast. The Grodno oblast has cropped 86% of the areas under crops, Mogilev 83.1%, Minsk 82.2%, Vitebsk 70%.