HARVEST IN DANUBE RIVER REGION BEGINS

OSIJEK, 11 July (Hina) - The agricultural and processing plant 'Belje' from Baranja is collecting wheat samples on its fields in order to test the crop's moisture level. Should it be normal, the harvest could start Friday afternoon, a member of 'Belje' governing board Luka Eljuga said Friday. If weather conditions are good, the harvest on 9,840 hectares in Baranja, out of which 'Belje' owns 5,220, should be completed in eight to ten days. The harvest on fields owned by the agricultural and processing plant 'Ratarstvo-stocarstvo', which started last week but was broken off due to rain, continued yesterday and this morning. It is expected that the harvest will continue on all fields during this afternoon, a member of the company's managing board Djuro Domacinovic said. Domacinovic added that 5,058 hectares of 'Ratarstvo-stocarstvo' land had been sown with wheat. Out of that number, 1,955 hectares are in the Danube river region. So far, 714 hectares of wheat have been cut, including 374 hectares in the U.N. -administered area. (hina) rm mm 111405 MET jul 97