As a wheat harvest season kicks off in Turkmenistan, growers in Akhal, Lebap and Mary velayats have begun harvesting operations, with farmers in Balkan and Dashoguz velayats to join them on June 12.
With the total area of 760, 000 hectares under wheat countrywide, this year Turkmen producers are set to harvest 1,600,000 tons of wheat, as proportioned: Akhal velayat 450,000 tons; Mary velayat 380,000 tons; Lebap velayat 350,000 tons; Dashoguz velayat 300,000 tons; Balkan velayat 120,000 tons.
Most of the wheat lands were planted with high-yielding varieties, such as Sahrai, Juvan, Bitarap, Eloten-1, Eloten-3, Turkmenbashi-1, Gyzylshaglavuk-25, Miras, Akbash, Hasylly (Batko) and Watan (Vassa).
Some 2,000 CLAAS, John Deere, Case and New Holland combine harvesters will be working in the fields throughout the country during the 2019 harvest campaign.The modern high-capacity agri-machinery will help farmers to gather the abundant wheat harvest in without loss.
Under a Presidential Resolution, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment Protection had concluded purchase contracts with John Deere International GmbH (Switzerland) and Umax Trade GmbH (Germany) for a large portion of farm machinery, units, dredgers, spare parts and consumables to be provided in three stages in 2017-2020.
John Deere and CLAAS combine harvesters have been supplied to our country in stages, with a portion of harvesters to be delivered this year.During the wheat harvesting, hundreds of mobile maintenance crews will offer twenty-four-hour services to farmers and will keep them well supplied with everything needed fuel, lubricants, and spare parts.
Established for combine operators, drivers, and other workers, field camps boast all necessary facilities and mobile shops.Events featuring artists will be also organized for those involved in the harvesting operations.
More than 10,000 trucks provided by various ministries and sectoral agencies will transport harvested wheat to designated grain centers, granaries and elevators.Specialists of Türkmenstandartlary Main State Service have well-equipped mobile laboratories at their disposal for wheat quality assessment.
Prompt payments to wheat producers for the harvest will be made via local branches of the Daýhanbank State Commercial Bank.New purchase prices for wheat have been set in 2019.
The price of a ton of bread grain has doubled since last year.In line with the decisions made at the Khalk Maslakhaty meeting and Presidential Resolutions, special land funds (comprised of farmlands in daikhan associations) were created in the regions to offer long-term leases on land plots to agricultural joint-stock companies, daikhan associations, and other agricultural producers for growing crops, including wheat.
With the start of the season, the regions hosted special seminars attended by representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment Protection, velayat and etrap khyakimliks, Türkmenstandartlary Main State Service, Türkmenhimiýa State Concern, heads of daikhan associations, experienced agronomists, combine operators, tenant farmers, and honorary elders.
The seminars focused on a broad range of issues concerning the effective organization and rapid progress of the harvesting operations.The seminar participants highlighted that thanks to the reforms ongoing in agriculture, the national economy’s key sector had reached qualitatively new levels.