ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 19. In Kazakhstan, 6.9 million hectares of grain and leguminous crops have been harvested since the beginning of the year, Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan Aidarbek Saparov said, Trend reports.
"The area of grain and leguminous crops intended for harvesting this year is 17.3 million hectares. To date, 6.9 million hectares have been harvested across the republic, or 40 percent. With an average yield of 9.5 c/ha, 6.6 million tons of grain were threshed. Last year, as of the same date, 11.6 million hectares, or 72.8 percent, were harvested," he said at a government meeting chaired by Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov.
As Saparov noted, the sowing campaign took place at optimal agricultural times; summer weather conditions were within normal limits in most of the country.
"Before harvesting, the availability of the equipment was ensured by 100 percent, and the shipment of preferential fuels and lubricants began as scheduled. At the same time, prolonged rains in the main grain-growing regions, which lasted more than 3 weeks, made their own adjustments, which led to a deterioration in the quality of grain, its germination, as well as low yields of grain crops in general," he said.
Saparov added that in all regions affected by weather conditions, working commissions have been created to determine the scale of the consequences, including all interested bodies and organizations.
"As of today, a visit to all affected regions has been carried out, and an analysis of the progress of cleaning work has been carried out. According to akimats (regional executive power), sprouted grain is observed on 2.7 million hectares, or 15 percent of the total harvested area. Currently, equipment has entered the fields en masse in all regions, and harvesting work has continued," he added.
