OREANDA-NEWS. August 25, 2014. Cherkizovo Group reports the completion of winter and spring wheat, barley, and peas harvesting. The Company harvested record 176 thousand tonnes from 32.2 thousand ha area in Voronezh, Orel, and Lipetsk Regions, which is 54% higher than the gross harvest of these crops in 2013. It is worth mentioning that the Group’s harvest in 2013 made up 175 000 tonnes, which means that even this level is already exceeded.

The Company’s experts note that this season has shown a very high crop yield. For example, the yield of winter wheat in Voronezh Region reached a peak of the 66 centner/ha record; yield of peas in Orel Region reached 46 centner/ha, with the target value of 30 centner/ha.

Over 70 units of various agricultural equipment were used in the harvest campaign on the lands of Voronezh, Orel, and Lipetsk Regions. About 50 combines were simultaneously operating 16 hours a day to cover the area of 32 thousand hectares.

There are about two months left until the completion of the harvest campaign; and Cherkizovo Group has already exceeded its yield targets by 32%. Soy, sunflower, and lupine harvest begins in September; in October, the Group will start harvesting corn. In 2014, Cherkizovo Group’s operations cover 60 thousand ha in total, and the Company expects the gross yield of grains to reach 250 thousand tonnes. This target can be exceeded based on the current data.

The yield increase in the grain farming segment occurs simultaneously with the development of the grain storage capacity. With the commissioning of Kamenka grain storage facilities in Penza Region, Cherkizovo’s overall grain storage capacity makes up 700 thousand tonnes, and will reach million tonnes upon the launch of facilities under the Eletsprom project.