OREANDA-NEWS. September 05, 2007. In order to be profit making flax cultivating companies of Belarus should harvest 10-15 centners per hectare, Minister of Agriculture and Foodstuffs Leonid Rusak told. For this purpose a great variety of agricultural machines is needed, reported the Official website http://www.government.by.

Although in recent years the fleet of many agricultural companies has been upgraded still they need high-tech and highly productive machines.

Today participants of a session highlighting the development of the flax industry have attended testing of several flax-cultivating machines ranging between combine harvesters and loaders in the fields of Dubrova Flax Mill.

Not all machines received high appraisal. Thus, several remarks were made in respect of the last model of Gomselmash flax harvester which is not as productive and energy efficient as its Russian analogue.

Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus to organize additional field testing of the harvester, compare it with the Russian machine and make relevant conclusions.

A Russian pull-type combine received favorable assessment. The Prime Minister ordered to study a possibility of launching its production in Belarus.

Vitebsk Motor Repair Works together with Lemken have launched production of combined seeders. Yet, specialists believe that a special flax seeder is needed.

The Prime Minister demanded that the Ministry of Agriculture and Foodstuffs and the National Academy of Sciences put forward offers on improving the tested hardware and give an expert evaluation of the tests.