Director of the Department of Crop Farming, Chemicalisation and Plant Protection Pyotr Chekmaryov reported on the latest news regarding the current situation in the regions. As of May 27, 2013, spring crops have been sown on an area of 37.8 million hectares (74.3% of the forecasts), which is 4 million hectares less than in the same period of 2012. Pyotr Chekmaryov said that agricultural producers in Krasnodar Territory and Stavropol Territory, Bryansk, Kursk, Tambov and other regions, the Republic of Ingushetia and the Udmurtian Republic had finished the sowing campaign. Farms in the Voronezh Region, Kabardino-Balkaria, Bashkortostan, Mordovia, Chuvashia and Orenburg and Penza regions will soon be finished with sowing as well.
A particular focus of the video conference was on the preparation of land-reclamation systems for the crop growing season. The majority of federal water development works and irrigation and drainage systems have been repaired. Water supply channels and catch-water drains have been cleared of silt and vegetation. Public and private irrigation and drainage systems are being readied for operations.
At the end of the conference, the Minister of Agriculture issued instructions to relevant departments, pointing out the importance of observing the terms of co-financing of the state programme from the regional budgets. Nikolai Fedorov also ordered the establishment of staffs to fight particularly dangerous pests under the Government Commission on Emergency Prevention, Emergency Relief and Fire Safety.
Source: Ministry of Agriculture
