At a Government meeting, Vice Minister of Agriculture Azat Sultanov presented data on current sown areas. The total sown area will amount to 23.8 million hectares, exceeding last year's figure by 180,000 hectares. The area under oilseed crops will exceed 4.0 million hectares, and fodder crops—3.3 million hectares. To ensure raw materials for processing projects, the area under corn has been increased to 265,000 hectares, and potato plantings in organized farms have risen by 10,000 hectares.
The wheat area will decrease by 125,000 hectares to 12.1 million hectares. The rice area has been optimized downward by 20,200 hectares to reduce the strain on water resources. The area under drip-irrigated cotton will increase by 29,800 hectares. Following the head of state's instruction, work continues on diversification and the transition to more profitable crops.