en.Wedoany.com Reported - The agricultural harvest season has officially begun in Russia's Orenburg Region, as Sergey Balykin, Minister of Agriculture, Trade, Food and Processing Industry of the Orenburg Region, delivered a keynote report at the plenary session "Agro-Industrial Complex of the Orenburg Region – a Driver of Regional Development."

Balykin stated that the total area for this year's harvest activities amounts to 4,403,700 hectares. Among this, the area for grain and leguminous crops exceeds 2,173,700 hectares, including 1.4 million hectares of spring crops and 726,100 hectares of winter crops. Plans include harvesting 1,062,000 hectares of sunflower seeds and 107,800 hectares of forage crops.

Harvesting operations have already commenced in nine municipalities in the central and southern parts of the Orenburg Region. To date, 13,100 tons of grain from winter crops have been harvested. Regions with notable yields include: Tashlinsky District (52 quintals/hectare), Kurmanayevsky District (40 quintals/hectare), and Novosergiyevsky District (32 quintals/hectare).

Preparatory work for future harvests is also underway: the area of absolute fallow land reaches 1,095,000 hectares; 852,100 hectares have undergone tertiary tillage, accounting for approximately 78% of the planned area.

Over 6,000 grain combine harvesters and about 2,500 swathers will be deployed for operations. Since the beginning of this year, farms in the region have cumulatively purchased agricultural machinery and equipment worth nearly 7.8 billion rubles.

Balykin particularly emphasized the importance of ensuring fuel and lubricant supplies for farms. He noted that the region's needs have been promptly reported to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, and regular communication is maintained with the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation, fuel companies, municipal authorities, and agricultural enterprises. Fuel inventories are continuously monitored, and agricultural producers also receive relevant advisory services. Balykin concluded that these measures help ensure the orderly completion of the harvest within the optimal timeframe.