Hail, drought destroy 243,000 hectares of crops in Chelyabinsk reg
18:16, 13 August 2009
CHELYABINSK. August 13. KAZINFORM A total of 243,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed by hail and drought in Russia's Chelyabinsk region, region's agriculture minister Ivan Feklin said at a session chaired by Governor Petr Sumin on Thursday, Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.
According to the minister, a state of emergency was declared early in August in nine municipal regions. The region will produce 600,000 tons of grain less than last year, while losses will make up three billion roubles, Kazimform cites Itar-Tass. See www.itar-tass.com for full version.