USSR: Measures of Economic Growth and Development, 1950-80

Approved for Release: 2019/07/19 C05210421
Table 6
lntrasector Use of Agricultural Output,
Annual Averages, Selected Years
1950-52 1959-61
Million 1970 rubles
1964-66 1969-71 1977-7_9____
Seed
Grain 2139.7 2478.2 2817.7 2624.4 2738.6
Potatoes 1818.7 1991.6 1841.4 _ 1803.1 1525.8
Total 3958.4 4469.7 4659. l 4428.1 4264.4
Seed as a share of gross crop output 17.0 13.7 12.1 10.1 5-L”
Feed and hatching eggs
Grain 1298.8 3400.0 3852.2 _ 6011.6 9308.6 i
Potatoes 1350.3 2370.9 2251.2 2467.5 we-1>_
Vegetables 25.3 145.7 186.8 ,
117.2 193.2
Milk 908.1 1574.5 1679.1 2221.3 we-2._
Total feed 3582.6 7491.1 7969.3 _ 10377.6 14172.2
_
Hatching eggs 35.3 108.7 94.2 175.0 324.4
Total intrasector use 3617.9 7599.8 8063.5 11052.6 14496.6
lntrasector use as a share 16.8
of gross livestock output
18.8 18.2 20.3 22.2
Shortcomings of the seed estimates center on the 4
seeding rates. We use a constant seeding rate for the
entire 1950-79 period whereas the actual rate prob-
ably has changed over time. Evidence indicates, fur-
thermore, that our seeding rates may be too low. One
Soviet source claims that 20 centners per hectare of
potatoes were seeded during 1962-65 and 25 centners
during 1967-69." We estimate potato seeding at '19
centners per hectare for all years. In the case of grain,‘
a Soviet writer claims that seed use averaged 30.8
million tons per year during 1971-75." Our estimates
show average seed use of 26 million tons during the
period. The grain calculations may understate actual
use because the norms refer to ‘first-class’ seed, which
exceeds the quality of much seed grain.” As of 1
January 1979, for example, only 71 percent of seed
" Zakupki selkkokhozyaystvennykh produktov, no. 3, 1973, p. 18.
" Plan khoz, no. 3, 1979, p. 38. See also, Pravda Ukrainy, 15 July
1979, p. 2, which argues that farms incorrectly increase the norms
for seeding, and notes that increasing the norm does not make up
for poor soil preparation, poor use of fertilizer, and so on. Zakupki
sel'sk0zyaystvennykh produktov, no. 1, 1978, p. 6, implies that
during 1971-75, farms sowed from 22 to 37 million tons annually.
” First-class seed is seed with no more than 1 percent (by weight)
content of broken kernels and admixtures and with viability not less
than 95 percent.
for spring grain and pulse crops met standards for
first or second class seed.“ Presumably, the lower the
seed quality the more seed is required for a given area.
B. Estimates of Livestock Feed and Hatching Eggs
We estimate quantities of grain, potatoes, vegetables,
and whole milk fed to livestock. We do not estimate
quantities of skim milk fed for reasons discussed
below. Finally, although some fruit is fed to livestock
in the USSR—largely because of marketing prob-
lems~—we make no estimates of the quantities because
of data limitations.”
Estimating feed fed to livestock poses many more
problems than deriving estimates of seed use. The
CIA index includes the value of feed produced and
used within agriculture such as hay, corn for silage,
feed roots, and pasture feed in the value of livestock
output. Although it would be more correct to add
their value to crop production and deduct it from
" Ibid.
Q ~
” Statements are limited to “farms every year are forced to send
millions of tons of fruit for feed" (Trud, 8 August 1967, p. 2); “as is
known, the larger the fruit harvest, the bigger the share fed to
cattle" (Plan khoz, no. 8, 1968, p. 59); and “a goodly share of fruit
is fed to livestock" (Literalurnaya gazeta, no. I , I973, p. I 0).
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Approved for Release: 2019/07/19 C05210421