9 August, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. Farms in the Vitebsk region have harvested half of the grain areas, the Agriculture and Food Committee of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee informed a BELTA correspondent. As of 9 August, a total of 244 thousand hectares of grain have been mown in the region, which is exactly 50% of the sown areas. Farmers in Beshenkovichi (60%), Verkhnedvinsk (50.7%), Glubokoe (61.9%), Dokshitsy (58.6%), Lepel (59.1%), Orsha (51.1%), Postavy (53.3%), Chashniki (68.3%), and Sharkovshchina (51.3%) districts have surpassed this milestone. The total grain yield has reached 787.8 thousand tonnes with an average yield of 32.3 centners per hectare. The best results in increasing crop yields have been achieved by farmers in Verkhnedvinsk, Orsha, and Chashniki districts. The lowest grain yield per hectare – 25 centners and 25.4 centners – is currently being harvested by farms in Rossony and Braslav districts. The average pace of the harvesting campaign in the Vitebsk region has slightly decreased from almost 4% a week ago due to deteriorating weather conditions and currently stands at 3.3%. Farmers plan to influence this situation by changing their work schedule: since 9 August, it has become a three-shift system, and harvesting will be carried out even at night to bring in the harvest as quickly as possible. The number of "thousand-plus" crews is gradually increasing in the region. As of 9 August, there are already 13 such teams. The leaders of the harvest are working in farms in Chashniki, Orsha, Dokshitsy, Verkhnedvinsk, Vitebsk, and Lepel districts.

BELTA