THE MAIN STAGES AND RESULTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF VIRGIN AND FALLOW LANDS OF THE SOUTHERN URALS

The history of virgin development is associated with the manifestation in the early 1950s. the inconsistencies between the level of development of the grain economy and the country's need for bread. In 1954 the Decree of the CPSU Central Committee "On the further increase in grain production in the country and the development of virgin and fallow lands" was adopted. Mass development of virgin lands in the USSR (Kazakhstan, Siberia, Volga region, Urals and other regions) was carried out in 1954-1956 years, and the character of the patriotic movement was carried out. The USSR State Planning Commission was planned to plow at least 43 million hectares of land in these areas. Already in 1954-1955 years farmers of the Chelyabinsk region developed 724 thousand hectares of virgin lands and fallow lands instead of 440 thousand hectares planed by the USSR State Planning Commission. From the first crop obtained during the development of virgin lands, about 47 million pounds of grain or 752 thousand tons were sold to the state (2 times more than the farms were sold in previous years). In 1956 the sowing area of farms of the Chelyabinsk region amounted to 2567.8 thousand hectares, including in the steppe zone - 1522.2 thousand ha (wheat presents 59.5% of crops).