23 March, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. The readiness of machinery in the Vitebsk region for spring field work has exceeded the 90 percent mark, the Committee for Agriculture and Food of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee informed a BELTA correspondent. As of 23 March, 94% of cultivators and organic fertilizer spreaders, 93% of solid mineral fertilizer spreaders, 91% of tractors, and 88% of sowing and soil cultivation units are ready for spring sowing. Currently, all machinery is being lined up for readiness checks, with final adjustments, settings, and aggregations being completed. Inter-farm checks of the machine fleet readiness have also commenced in the districts. The total sown area in the Vitebsk region in 2012 will amount to 873 thousand hectares, including 500 thousand hectares, or 57.3%, allocated for grain and leguminous crops. 120 thousand hectares (13.7%) are designated for technical crops, 5 thousand hectares (0.6%) for potatoes, 1.8 thousand hectares (0.2%) for open-ground vegetables, and 246.2 thousand hectares (28.2%) for fodder crops. Approximately 9 thousand machine operators will be involved in the spring field work. -0-

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