Azerbaijan, Baku, July 4 / Trend, A. Akhundov /
According to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Agriculture, wheat sown areas in the country declined by 51.4 percent this yearş
"By June 22, 2011, wheat was sown in 268 hectares, whereas last year it was sown along 551 hectares," the ministry said.
Field work in the country is nearing completion, and overall spring plants have been sown in an area of 397,297 hectares. The sown area increased by 5.8 percent (21,643 hectares) compared to last year.
Cereals and legumes (excluding maize) have been planted in 29,659 hectares by the reported period, compared to 31,242 during the same season in 2010, marking a 5.1 percent decline.
Wild oats were sown along 1,745 hectares (an increase of 5.8 percent), rice with the husk - 1,659 hectares, maize - 34,262 hectares (an increase of 12.2 percent), and sunflower - 10,823 hectares (an increase of 21.5 times).
Azerbaijan is expected to produce 2.5 million tons of grain in Azerbaijan, which is 500,000 tons more than last year, the Minister of Agriculture Ismet Abasov told journalists earlier.
"We forecast production of 2.5 million tons of grain given favorable weather conditions, 1.7 million of which will account for food grain," he said.
Barley is planned to yield 800,000 tons in 2011.
Last year the country harvested more than 2.000 million tons of grain, which is 33 percent less than in 2009. Some 20.7 quintals of grain were harvested from each hectare of land, on average.
Abasov said today the country's demand in grain crops is 3-3.2 million tons.
"Whatever remains lacking will be imported from other countries. Today Azerbaijan imports grain from Russia and Kazakhstan," Abasov stressed.
He said that although last year's grain production in Azerbaijan fell due to adverse weather conditions, a deficit was not observed on this type of production in the country.
"Azerbaijan's grain demands, as well as all types of agricultural products, will also be fully met this year," Abasov said.