MINSK: Farms in southern regions of Belarus have started spring grain sowing, Belta news agency quoted the agriculture minister Ivan Krupko as saying on Wednesday.

The Belarusian state weather centre last week said that farms could start 2021 spring grain sowing in the first half of April and the delay from March was caused by cold weather and snow.

Belarus has said it plans to increase the grain harvest to 8.5 million tonnes in 2021, from 8 million tonnes last year.

Farmers plan to sow 2.36 million hectares (5.8 million acres) of spring grains for the 2021 harvest.