5 September, Vitebsk /Sergey Kochetov - BELTA/. Farms in the Vitebsk region have started the mass potato harvest, the Agriculture and Food Committee of the Regional Executive Committee informed a BELTA correspondent. This year, a total of 6.7 thousand hectares are to be harvested in the region, which is approximately 25% more than the potato field area in 2010. As of September 5, this crop has been harvested from 455.1 hectares, or 6.8% of the area to be harvested. Over 13.4 thousand tonnes have been dug up, with an average yield of 295.2 centners per hectare, which is almost 100 centners per hectare higher than a year ago. The highest pace of work in the potato fields is in the Tolochin district, where 17.7% of the area has already been harvested, over 5.4 thousand tonnes of potatoes have been dug up, and the average yield is the highest in the region, amounting to 493.2 centners per hectare. From September 5, university students from the region will be sent to agricultural organisations to help with the potato harvest. This year, it is planned to send over 6 thousand young men and women to assist rural residents. Main vegetable crops have been harvested from an area of almost 30 hectares, which is over 3% of the area to be harvested. 480 tonnes of cabbage have been collected (average yield 255 centners per hectare), over 165 tonnes of beetroot (almost 255 centners per hectare), and about 85 tonnes of carrots (187 centners per hectare). Winter cereals have been sown on an area of 47.8 thousand hectares, or 19% of the plan. In addition, about 223 thousand hectares of land have been prepared for winter sowing, which is about 90% of the plan. -0-

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