<br />002393
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<br />WATER. RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
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<br />Thus, the inclusion of "watered" land -may account for the large rise of
<br />"irrigated" land since 1941.
<br />, A large part Of the irrigated land is located in the Central Asiatic and Trans-
<br />caucasian Republics. (See table 1.) For a variety of reasons, including the
<br />disrepair of the networks, swamPiness, and salinity, not all of the acreage classi-
<br />fied as having an irrigation network is actually used. The sixth 5-year plan
<br />(1956-60) calls for an increase of 2.1 million hectares of irrigated land, of
<br />which, roughly, 40 percent is to be derived from improvement of the existing
<br />irrigation -systems. _
<br />By far the largest single crop grown under irrigation is cotton-a total of 2.06
<br />million hectares in 1956. About one-fourth of the total cotton acreage was rain
<br />grown prior to 1953. However, a decision to give up the growing of the low~
<br />yielding nonirrigated cotton was taken by the post-Stalin regime and resulted
<br />in a rapid drop and then, disappearance of rain-grown cotton. .Further expan-
<br />sion of cotton acreage, and consequently of irrigated acreage, is being planned.
<br />An August 1956 decree dealt with the "Hungry Steppe" (Golodnaya Steppe)
<br />project, Which provides for the irrigation and assimilation of 300,000 hectares-
<br />two-thirds of which is in. Uzbek S. S. R. and the remainder in the Kazak S. S. R.
<br />Further expansion of irrigated acreage was .mentioned at a recent meeting of
<br />cottongrowers in Tashkent in Octobe.r 1957.
<br />Other crops grown on irrigated land are rice, sugar beets, tea, fruit,vegetables,
<br />alfalfa (grown in rotation with cotton). Little grain other than rice (which
<br />accounts for 100,000 hectares). is grown on irrigated land.
<br />Because of the large expanse of land with inadequate precipitation, the need
<br />for irrigation is large, but the heavy capital expenditure places definite limits.
<br />The "Great Stalin projects pf. changing, nature" announcing in 1950 were to have
<br />provided, uPon their completion, an .additional 6 million hectares of irrigated
<br />land. and were' to supply another 22 million hectares with water facilities for
<br />range farming, How much of thi~ was actually accomplished is not clear. (See
<br />section on hydroelectric projects..) According to the official plan-fulfillment
<br />report, the irrigated acreage increased by 13 percent during the 1951-55 period
<br />and the actual utilized acreage by 25 percent; the stipulated increase for these
<br />years was 30 to 35 percent.
<br />The current emphasis upon animal hUSbandry has made for renewed atten-
<br />tion to supplying water to grazing animals, and a new push in that direction may
<br />well be in the offing.
<br />
<br />The State Department and 'also the Agriculture Department and
<br />other Federal agencies accepted and offered for this study a Russian
<br />Central Statistical Admimstration table showing advances by the
<br />Soviets in all types of irrigation betwee.n January 1; 1951, and January
<br />1, 1956. It breaks the U. S. S. R. program down by individual Soviets
<br />and surface, underground, well, spring, and estuary irrigation, and is
<br />included in the committee file.
<br />Simplified and transformed into acres and compared with United
<br />States irrigation progress as was done, by the United States Bureau of
<br />Reclamation, on request, a revealing table shows the two nations, re-
<br />gardless of dissimilarities, in virtual equality in total irrigated area,
<br />with Soviet Russia again registering greater percentages increases in
<br />the past 5 years. It worked out as follows:
<br />
<br />Irr'gated
<br />area by
<br />acres, J an.
<br />1,1951
<br />
<br />Irrigated
<br />area by Percentage
<br />acres, Jan. jnCrf\aS6
<br />1,1956
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<br />g:.~: tr:::::::::::::::::::::,:::::::::::::::::::::~:::::::::
<br />. I
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<br />24,504,7R7
<br />26.233.215
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<br />30,577,391
<br />31,908,000
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<br />24.8
<br />21. 6
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<br />NOTE.-This result was obts"ne'i by use of the Denartmen.t of..CoTY'!merce a<a:r'cultural census figures
<br />embrl;l.c!ng all U. S..irrigat"on re~ardless otwhether-'t was Buri>.au of Recls--nat'o'1 snonso~'e1 0:- non-Federal
<br />irrigation." Therefore, it includes extensive s~rinklel' irrrg:ation a!1d is unlialanc'}d In that the"Russ1-an
<br />fl.gur~ appareJ?tly ,do nqt. r--;flfJct s~(nkler ;rr rrat on. A Iso, no a.ttempt was n ad') atweight"ng figures to
<br />reflect-major dltrerences in t'.le ateas and po~ulflt on of the 2 nat on.s. ."' .
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