Working trip to Minsk District

It is necessary to gather in laid grain as soon as possible. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko gave the relevant instructions during the working visit to Minsk District on 25 July.

The head of state was informed about the current state of grain crops. The President stressed that agricultural enterprises must focus on gathering in laid grain as soon as possible in order to avoid harvest losses. “However hard it may be the laid grain must be gathered in right away. Within 3-4 days at most. Collecting the laid grain is the most important task today. It is what worries me most. We can do the rest,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko. “It will be a pity if we fail to collect the grain that has grown. Losing these crops is a crime”.

Aleksandr Lukashenko instructed the State Control Committee and other specialists to control the fulfillment of the instruction. “Check it in 2-3 days and find out where the work with laid grain could use more effort. It applies to all the oblasts,” said the Belarusian leader.

The President asked specialists about reasons behind laid grain and the possible measures that could prevent such problems in the future. The head of state was informed that among all the other reasons the specific variety of the crops is most important. While some varieties boast good yields, they are susceptible to the problem. The situation can then be further deteriorated by bad weather. The President gave instructions to pay close attention to the structure of crops and use the most resistant varieties. “Let’s sow what you think can resist torrential rains and the rest. We should do our utmost to preserve the harvest and fight the laid grain,” said the head of state.

In particular, the President gave instructions to organize the sowing campaign in Minsk District this way next year in order to compare the results and determine effectiveness.

Speaking about the structure of crops, the President gave instructions to stop sowing unprofitable ones and charged the Agriculture and Food Ministry with delivering clearer recommendations for agricultural companies regarding the productivity and profitability of certain crop varieties. “Make conclusions on the basis of this year’s sowing campaign and harvesting campaign and give recommendations on the basis of the experience,” noted Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The head of state was also informed about the progress of the harvesting campaign and the expected yield. As of 25 July grain crops and leguminous crops have been collected on an area of 549,000ha or 22.6% of the total crop area. As much as 2.1 million tonnes has been threshed with the average yield of 39 centners per hectare. Colza has been collected from 94% of the total crop area. Over 753,100 tonnes has been threshed with the average yield of 22.5 centners per hectare.

Aleksandr Lukashenko also visited the grain drying facility in Minsk District.

The President ordered to pay more attention to keeping land clean and tidy even in the most remote places of Belarus. Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that he can see how things are not only when he travels along the major highways, but also during his trips to various regions, including the most remote areas. The President remembered one of his recent private trips to the area located at the juncture of Mogilev Oblast and Vitebsk Oblast. “As I got into this very out-of-the-way place, I saw disgusting attitude to some fields. They think that no one will see it as it is located far away. This is I-couldn't-care-less attitude,” the Belarusian leader said.

The President emphasized that people, in particular those living in cottages and in the countryside, should be actively involved in cleaning up untidy and neglected land. Aleksandr Lukashenko said that the clean up activities should be spearheaded by both public and private initiative.

The head of state ordered to apply the toughest punishment, up to confiscation of vehicles, to those who pollute the environment by dumping trash in the undesignated places.