History of flax crop in the world and Russia

The earliest Neolithic finds of flax seeds date back to 8700-7000 BC. In the Bronze and Iron Ages, man began to cultivate flax practically throughout Europe, the Central and South Asia, Transcaucasia, North Africa. References to the cultivation of flax in Russia for fiber and oil are found in the chronicles of X and XI centuries. Great contribution to the increase in the flax production in Russia was made by a king Peter the Great in the XVIII century. At the beginning of the XIX century, the acreage of oilseed flax began to be actively expanded in the south of Russia. At the end of the XIX century flax yarn and flax seed has become a major Russian imports. During the civil war, the Russian flax production fell into decay, and was rebuilt only in the late 20-ies of XX century. In 1931 in the USSR oilseed flax occupied by 600 thousand ha and the gross harvest of seeds exceeded 800 thousand tons. However, the expansion of the areas under sunflower in the Soviet Union and replacement of linen drying oils in oil paint by their synthetic counterparts, led to a gradual decline in the production of oilseed flax volumes. Moreover, by 1995, the area under oilseed flax in Russia accounted for only 5 thousand ha and the gross harvest of flax seeds barely exceeded 3 thousand tones. The change of the economic situation in Russia at the beginning of the XXI century again caused a rapid growth area, and gross yield of oilseed flax. In 2012, the area under oilseed flax, like a hundred years ago, exceeded 600 thousand ha. The revived interest in the oilseed flax determined by its ability to grow successfully even in arid and northern climates, a simple cultural practices, low cost of seed production, as well as the high export volumes.