Agricultural companies of Vitebsk oblast are first to finish sowing winter crops

Belarus is finishing sowing winter crops. The sowing area exceeded 1 million hectares or 73.5% of the plan. Agricultural companies of Vitebsk oblast were the first to complete the harvesting campaign. They have to sow only 8% of the area, BelTA was told in the head plant growing department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Foodstuffs of Belarus. Mogilev oblast has to sow 11% of the area. Winter crops were sown there in the best agronomical terms. Last year the oblast managed to sow only a half of the area by the date. Gomel oblast has sown 81.5% of the area; Grodno oblast – more than two thirds and Minsk oblast – almost 63% of the planned area. Besides, the sowing campaign is held 20-25% quicker than in 2006. Everyday the agricultural companies of Belarus sow about 55 thousand hectares of the area – almost 4% of the area under winter crops. The highest daily sowing rates were registered in Minsk and Grodno oblasts – 5% and 4% respectively, the Ministry of Agriculture and Foodstuffs of Belarus informs. This year Belarus has increased the area under winter wheat and triticale. The total area under winter crops will exceed 1.2 million hectares.