OREANDA-NEWS. October 18, 2010. ASTARTA's regional subsidiaries successfully finished winter sowing campaign for 2011 harvest on the area of 40 thousand ha including 36 thousand ha of winter wheat (+9% y-o-y). Increased areas under winter crops represent ASTATRA's strategy to expand  land bank and to increase the share of wheat, corn and soybeans in the crop rotation structure. High-quality primary seeds specially processed and prepared at ASTARTA's new pre-sowing seed processing facility in Poltava region were used as a sawing material.

The Group's regional subsidiaries are finishing harvesting of technical crops. Sunflower has been already harvested on the area of 14,8 thousand ha (+25% y-o-y) with an average yield of 2.1 tons per ha and soybeans on the area of 26 thousand ha (+73% y-o-y) with an average yield of 1.5 tons per ha. Harvesting of corn has been 40% completed on the area of 8 thousand ha with an average yield of 5.0 tons per ha. It should be noted that the best Group's regional subsidiaries harvested sunflower with an average yield of 2.8 tons per ha, soybeans - 2.3 tons per ha, and corn -  7.4 tons per ha.

The Group's regional subsidiaries continue to harvest sugar beet. In contrast to previous years, when sugar content and beet weight usually grew in September and October (up to 30% of root weight and 20% of increase in sugar content), this year, due to difficult weather conditions, sugar beet in the past month has not provided for expected growth rate of root and sugar content. Average gross yield of sugar beet comprise around 40 tons per ha. Sugar content in sugar beet comprise about 15.5%.

Soil preparation  for sowing of sugar beet and other crops in spring 2011 goes as scheduled. In full conformity with the technological scheme, cultivation of soil has been finished, complex mineral fertilizers and anhydrous ammonia for the next sugar beet harvest at about 39,000 ha has been applied. Additionally, ASTARTA  provides technical support and financing to prepare fields of other agricultural producers in the "sugar beet belt" around its sugar plants as well as the fields of the smaller agricompanies that are in transition to become a part of ASTARTA this year.