MINSK 18 January (BelTA) - In Belarus the gross harvest of grain and leguminous crops (weight after processing) amounted to 7.665 million tonnes in 2023, BelTA has learned from the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
"The gross harvest of grain and leguminous crops (weight after processing) amounted to 7.665 million tonnes. In the 2022 season it was 8.693 million tonnes. The largest grain harvest contributor (by storage weight) was Minsk Oblast (1.875 million tonnes). It was followed by Grodno Oblast (1.706 million tonnes), Brest Oblast (1.591 million tonnes, Mogilev Oblast (971,000 tonnes), Gomel Oblast (869,000 tonnes), Vitebsk Oblast (645,000 tonnes)," the Food and Agriculture Ministry reported.
The ministry also noted that the grain under-harvest was largely compensated by corn. Its harvest was 1.5 times more than in 2022. Minsk Oblast was the leader in terms of gross corn harvest with 488,000 tonnes. Grodno Oblast cropped 333, 000 tonnes, Gomel Oblast – 326,000 tonnes, Brest Oblast – 299,000 tonnes, Mogilev Oblast – 159,000 tonnes, Vitebsk Oblast – 48,000 tonnes.
"In 2023, Belarus cropped its record-high gross harvest of rapeseed (weight after processing) of 899,000 tonnes (806,000 tonnes a year ago). Brest Oblast removed 203,000 tonnes, Vitebsk Oblast - 74,000 tonnes, Gomel Oblast - 39,000 tonnes, Grodno Oblast - 257,000 tonnes, in Minsk Oblast - 230,000 tonnes, Mogilev Oblast - 95,000 tonnes. The highest oilseed yield was achieved by farms in Grodno Oblast: the agricultural company Grodnensky reported 71.5 centners per hectare, the agricultural company Niva-2003 - 67.2 centners per hectare. Maloberestovitsky Elitkhoz was third with 66.9 centners per hectare," the press service added.
In 2023 Belarus had one of its highest gross sugar beet harvests of 4. 844 million tonnes (up 642,000 tonnes from the previous season). The harvests in 2017 and 2019 were slightly higher. The average yield across the country was 477 centners per hectare. The highest yield was reported by Grodno Oblast - 526 centners per hectare. Brest Oblast had the yield of 468 centners per hectare, Minsk Oblast - 465 centners per hectare, Vitebsk Oblast - 420 centners per hectare, Gomel Oblast - 395 centners per hectare, Mogilev Oblast - 412 centners per hectare.
A number of farms reported the yield two or more times higher than the average. The highest yield was achieved by the agricultural company Svislochin in Grodno District - 1,066 centners per hectare. Gritskevichi of Nesvizh District was second in terms of yield.