On June 16, Minsk /BelTA correspondent/. As of June 1, the cattle population in Belarusian farms reached 4 million 20 thousand heads, an increase of 0.5% compared to the same date last year. The number of cows increased by 3% to 1 million 263.8 thousand heads, BelTA was informed by the National Statistical Committee. The highest growth in the cattle population is observed in farms in the Gomel and Brest regions, with 1.4% and 1% respectively. In the Grodno region, it decreased by 2%. The Brest region leads in the increase of the dairy herd, with the number of cows growing by 5.3%. In the Grodno region, their number increased by 5%, in the Gomel region – by 3.7%, in the Minsk region – by 2.3%, in the Mogilev region – by 1.5%, and in the Vitebsk region – by 0.4%. The pig population increased by 3.7% during this period, reaching 2 million 876.3 thousand heads. The largest increase in the pig population was in the Brest region – by 7.5%, and the smallest – in the Grodno and Minsk regions – by 2%. In the Mogilev region, the pig population increased by 7.4%, in the Vitebsk region – by 4.3%, and in the Gomel region – by 2.4%. In 2009, the cattle population in all categories of farms increased by 0.5%, including a 1.2% increase in agricultural organizations, while the population in households decreased by 8.5%. As of the beginning of 2010, the number of cows in all categories of farms was 1 million 444.6 thousand, which is 0.5% less than on January 1, 2009. In agricultural organizations, the cow population increased by 1.4% over the year. -0-

BelTA