Ildar Khalikov inspects spring field works in two Tatarstan regions

On May 4, accompanied by Tatarstan Vice Prime Minister of Agriculture and Food Marat Akhmetov, Tatarstan Prime Minister Ildar Khalikov visited Kamskoye Ustye and Tetyushi municipal regions to inspect spring field works.

Ildar Khalikov looked around the fields and held meetings with heads of agricultural enterprises in both regions.

A meeting with activists of the agro-industrial complex of Kamskoye Ustye municipal region was held at the field of Sodruzhestvo farm near Bolshoe Shemyakino village. This agricultural enterprise is part of the holding "Ak Bars Agro" and the largest one in the region, with the total area of arable land making 19 hectares.

The total area of cultivated areas in Tetyushi region is more than 83 hectares. According to Head of Department of Tatarstan Ministry of Agriculture and Food in Tetyushsi municipal region Eugene Kurkov, more than 65 per cent of the area was set aside for crops. The arable land for sugar beet is 4.4 per cent, rape - 5.8 per cent, forage crops - 24.3 per cent.

As of today, farmers of Tetyushi region have almost passed the halfway point of the sowing campaign. In particular, 42 per cent of the spring grain crops have been sown. According to Head of the region Valery Chershintsev, it is planned to finish the sowing campaign by May 9.

According to Marat Akhmetov, sugar beet can become the base crop for the agricultural industry of Tetyushi region in the long term. The Minister noted that its cultivation will be especially important after modernization of Buinsky sugar factory, which will enable a significant increase in the sugar beet processing throughput.

Marat Akhmetov also noted achievements of farmers of Tetyushi region in the cattle breeding. According to him, Tetyushi region is one of the few regions in Tatarstan that managed to overcome the decline in milk production and reached the level of 2009. To reach the same level as it was five years ago, it is necessary to increase milk production by 170,000 tonnes throughout the republic.

Commenting on the results of today's working visit to Kamskoye Ustye and Tetyushi municipal regions Ildar Khalikov said: "The regions that we have visited today are showing very good results. We hope that the weather conditions and good organisation of work in the regions will foster the completion of the spring field works in the shortest possible time."

According to Marat Akhmetov, in general in the republic the spring field works are being carried out in an organized manner and with a good speed, with the exception of a few northern regions, where the sowing campaign started a few days later because of weather conditions. The sown area of arable land increases by an average of 5 per cent per day in the republic. According to the Minister, it is planned to finish the sowing campaign within 7-10 days.