OREANDA-NEWS. August 27, 2008. Turkmen grain growers have started the winter crops sowing campaign. This year the sown areas have been expanded by 20,000 hectares. The wheat plantations will occupy 900,000 hectares throughout Turkmenistan, of them 250,000 ha in the Ahal Velayat, 215,000 ha– in the Mary Velayat, 180,000 ha– in the Dashoguz Velayat, 175,000 ha– in the Balkan Velayat and 80,000 ha– in the Balkan Velayat.

The fields will be sown with the local wheat varieties such as Sakhrai, Juvan, Eloten, Bitarap as well as foreign wheat varieties. 1,000 tons of Stavropol seed wheat will be delivered to Turkmenistan in the near future.

According to the Turkmenobahyzmat Association, 1,800 sowing machines, 2,500 Belarusian MTZ-80X tractor-cultivators and 500 John Deer and Case ploughing tractors will be engaged in the campaign that will last till the second decade of November.

The training seminars were held in the regions on the eve of the agricultural campaign. The special brochures about the technique of growing winter wheat in Turkmenistan including the current scientific data and the results of the long-term research and presenting the in-depth information on the agrotechnical methods were published. The brochure was compiled by the specialists of the Grain Crops Research Institute affiliated with the Turkmengallaonumlery Association.