Kazakhstan will sow less grain in 2013

Kazakhstan will sow less grain in 2013, Tengrinews.kz reports citing Vice-Minister of Agriculture Muslim Umiryayev as saying at the conference meeting on preparation for spring sowing campaign of 2013. “According to the administrations of the oblasts, the plan is to sow crops at the area of 21.3 million hectares, which is 1 percent less than in 2012. The areas of the spring sowing campaign will make 18.5 million hectares,” Muslim Umiryayev said. According to him, the sowing areas for wheat will shrink by 329 thousand hectares or 2.4 percent, the areas for sowing rice will be cut by 6 thousand hectares or 6.5 percent, while the grain maize sowing areas will be increased by 4.8 thousand hectares and additional sowing areas of 22 thousand hectares will be allocated for sowing other grain and pulse crops. The areas of vegetable crops will be expanded by 2.1 thousand hectares and additional 124.1 thousand hectares will be used for sowing forage crops. “According to KazHydroMet (national weather service) and research institutes of KazAgroInnovation, the soil is quite moist after the precipitations this autumn and winter. This creates good condition for a good harvest in 2013. Snow retention practice is being used in the regions. The plan for snow retention has been fulfilled by 100 percent in Akmola, Karaganda and Pavlodar oblast, by 71 percent and 91 percent in Kostanay and North-Kazakhstan oblasts,” the Vice-Minister said. According to the Vice-Minister, seeds provisions stand at 96 percent. However, a seeds deficit is expected in Aktobe, West-Kazakhstan and Kostanay oblasts: the total of 85.2 thousand tons. 57 thousand tons from this amount will be covered from the oblasts’ stocks. By Baubek Konyrov