The authorities decided to expand by more than 25,000 ha the area of fields under autumn-sown crops. Thus autumn crops will cover a total of 472,000 ha in area, against 420,000 initially planned. Pintilie Parvan, head of the Agrindustrial Technology Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, told the national staff on September 28 that 336,100 ha of the total fields to be sown this autumn have been reserved for wheat. Barley will account for 77,400 ha and rape for 54,400 ha of the total. So far autumn crops have been sown on 35 percent of the planned area. The Ministry forecasts the completion of the works for the first decade of November.