2011-2012 crop year: final cereal production stands at 51 mln quintals

The final production of the three main cereals for the 2011-2012 crop year reached 51 million quintals on a surface area of around 5 million hectares, that is an average input of 10.1 quintals/hectare, a statement by the Agriculture Ministry said on Monday.

Compared to the 2010-2011 crop year, the production and input decreased by 39.1 and 38% respectively due to the scarcity of rains in February and March, it said, adding that the planted surfaces declined only by 1.5%.

The fall of temperature in February and March favorably contributed, however, to weathering the adverse impact of the low rainfall.

Low temperature associated with the amelioration of climate conditions in March and April had a positive impact on production and crop quality, the statement noted.