Dry conditions persist through Kazakhstan, weather center says
10:30, 17 August 2012
ASTANA. August 17. KAZINFORM Dry conditions persisted throughout Kazakhstan in the first 10 days of August, the national weather service, known as Kazhydromet, said.
Drought has caused drying of grain leaves and made grain ears underdeveloped in all regions of Kazakhstan in the period, the weather service said today on its website. Most of the country suffers from insufficient moisture, it said.
Kazakhstan may lose 353,000 hectares (872,282 acres) of planted grains, or 2 percent of the total area sown, from drought, Agriculture Minister Asylzhan Mamytbekov said July 24.
The grain crop will be 13 million metric tons this year, down from a record 26.9 million tons in 2011 due to the lack of rain, according to the government, Kazinform has learnt from Bloomberg.