January 13, 2006

Kazakhstan's 2005 grain harvest up 9.4 percent

Kazakhstan's 2005 grain harvest totalled 13.5 million tonnes in clean weight, an increase of 9.4 percent on the year, according to figures released by the state statistics committee Thursday.

The average yield was 1.13 tonnes/hectare, an increase of 13 percent compared with 2004.

Wheat harvest in 2005 totalled 12.9 million tonnes.

The agriculture ministry said the quality of the grain was lower, with practically no first grade wheat available, while the amount of fourth and fifth grade wheat were greater than last year, mainly due to a drought earlier in the year and heavy rains in early September.