May 17, 2017 Minister of Agriculture and Food of Omsk region Maksim Chekusov held a briefing and talked about the progress of the sowing campaign.
The main topic of the briefing was spring sowing. According to Minister, sowing suffering in Omsk region is in an active phase. Spring crops are sown with about 600 thousand hectares - about 20% of the acreage. Agrarians of Omsk Region are increasing the area of sowing of oilseeds and fodder crops, they began cultivating lentils, chickpeas, milk thistle, spelled and other unusual crops for the region, for which they offer a good price not only in our country, but also abroad. This year, special attention is paid to the work on the implementation of high-margin crops. Special attention is paid to the cultivation of wheat of the 3rd class, which is in demand in the market due to high gluten and improved baking qualities. In order to obtain such grain, it is necessary to use elite seeds, make fertilizers on time, protect plants from diseases and pests. According to Maksim Chekusov, Omsk agrarians will be able to get at least 25-30 quintals of wheat per hectare and reach a grain crop of up to 4 million tons, subject to compliance with technology.
Maksim Chekusov also spoke about the development of flax production in the region. According to the results last year, Omsk region took the second place in Russia in sowing areas occupied by flax. The region grows oil flax, which is also in demand in China. The precondition of the efficiency of flax fiber production is its deep processing. According to Maksim Chekusov, today there are seven lines for primary processing of flax in the region, mostly hemp is made from it, and the Ministry of Agriculture of the region is interested in building in the region a line for the production of cathonine needed for the production of gunpowder and cotton wool. "Today we are forced to subsidize flax production," Minister said. "This segment is promising for business. Businessmen who are now investing in this industry will get profit. Catonin can be shipped outside of Russia, to the same China."
Completion of spring field work in Omsk region is planned until June 5 this year.
Source: The Ministry of Agriculture and Food of Omsk region.
