13 September 2002
Brest regional governor tasks local farms with gathering one million tons of grain next year

 Vasily Dolgolyov, chairman of the Brest Regional Executive Committee, has set the Brest region's agricultural sector the task of gathering one
million metric tons of grain next year.
"If we do not get a million, I'll feel ashamed to stay in this position," Mr. Dolgolyov declared at a meeting with trade union activists on Wednesday. As a result of this year's harvesting campaign, the region
reportedly gathered about 900,000 tons of grain, 150,000 tons more than in 2001. "If we reach a million tons, we will get rid of the need
for imported grain. We must reach self-sufficiency," Mr. Dolgolyov stressed. The region has been faced with the target of gathering one
million tons of grain for three years in a row. According to the regional government's Agriculture and Foodstuffs Committee, there has been an upward trend in the region's grain gross output in recent years. In 2001, the region had a crop of 752,100 tons, 106,600 tons more than in the previous year. The total area under grain crops increased by 44,000 hectares, or 14 percent, in 2001 and shrank by one percent in 2002.
Another task set by the regional governor is to increase the area under rape crops. "All Europe has lined up to buy rape. They charge $190 for a ton in Germany. We will sharply increase rape sowing, as we should become an agricultural exporter," Mr. Dolgolyov stressed.