Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug.4 / Trend, S. Suleymanov /
In 2010, Kazakhstan expects grain harvest within 14-15 million tons, the Minister of Agriculture Akylbek Kurishbayev.
"This year's harvest in Kazakhstan is expected within the 14-15 million tons of grain, which will fully meet the country's domestic needs," Kurishbayev said, reporting to the Kazakh President at a meeting on the most urgent issues of the agricultural sector.
According to the minister, today given winter and spring grain sowing area was 16.7 million hectares.
"The harvest has begun in Almaty, Aktobe, Zhambyl, West Kazakhstan, Qyzylorda and South Kazakhstan regions. As of Aug.2 450,000 hectares have been harvested. The average crop capacity for Kazakhstan on a net weight now amounts to 9.4 tons per hectare, Kurishbayev said.
During the meeting, the Kazakh President drew particular attention to the problematic issues of harvesting. At the end of July in the whole country, 13.9 million hectares or 83.1 per cent of grain crops were in good and satisfactory condition. Due to drought and hot weather some of the grain crop, mainly in the West Kazakhstan and Aktobe regions, was affected.
"Harvesting begins earlier everywhere. Ripening is carrying out more rapidly. We must therefore prepare for it in advance, provide equipment and fuel," Nazarbayev said.
According to Nazarbayev, despite the current difficulties, the export potential in the 2010-2011 marketing year is 8 million tons.