24 August, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. All districts of the Vitebsk region have started sowing winter grain crops, the Agriculture and Food Committee of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee informed a BELTA correspondent. As of 24 August, slightly over 5 thousand hectares have been sown in the region, which is 2% of the plan of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Braslavsky, Lioznensky and Senno districts, where 10 hectares, 72 hectares and 24 hectares were sown respectively over the past day, were the last to join this work on the eve. The sowing of winter grain crops is progressing most actively in Beshenkovichsky district, where 15.8% of the plan has been fulfilled. Gorodoksky and Shumilinsky districts have sown 3.5% and 3.4% of the areas. These works in other regions of the oblast are significantly hampered by rains, which affects the progress of the current harvest. In total, as of 24 August, 375.4 thousand hectares of grain and leguminous crops have been harvested in the region, or 76.9% of the areas. The pace of work over the day was only 1.3% of the areas due to bad weather. In most districts, selective harvesting was carried out, taking into account the adverse weather conditions. The grain yield currently stands at 1.176 million tons of grain with an average yield of 31.3 centners per hectare. In addition to these works, the region's agrarians continue to apply glyphosate-containing preparations and mineral fertilizers for sowing winter crops, ploughing the soil, selecting elite winter grain crops, retting flax and harvesting flax shives, and harvesting green peas. In early September, the region's farms will have to start harvesting corn, vegetables, and root crops.-0-

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