Working trip to Minsk Oblast

The development of private farming will be further supported in Belarus. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement during the working trip around Minsk Oblast on 29 July.

In Logoisk District the head of state visited the farming company Tsnyanskiye Ekoprodukty. The company has achieved high performance results and is vigorously growing. The head of state noted that for the sake of reviving unprofitable or low-profit agricultural enterprises it is necessary to rely on private farmers among other things.

“A third or a quarter of state-run agricultural enterprises underperforms. It is necessary to more widely use private farmers. But it must not be done thoughtlessly. The state should always have a reliable safety cushion,” stated the President. “We have good private farmers, who have earned a good reputation. If they want to, you can give some underperforming enterprises to them. There is no rush to give away the enterprises to foreigners. But if you do, it must be done with conditions. Belarusian agriculture is reaching proper development standards now. Don’t lose control over it.”

Evaluating the results achieved by the private farming company, Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed the utmost importance of having a skilled executive, who can properly organize the business process. The President urged to more actively use the experience of such people for the sake of training promising executive personnel. “An enterprise cannot do well without a good executive. Give me one hundred revolutionary ones and we will turn Belarus around. There are good people. Giving them lands sounds like a good idea. May they work well,” said the head of state.

“It is necessary to think about some holding company, several enterprises. I think that 2-3 executives can be borrowed from here. If you are ready to repeat what you’ve done here in other enterprises, just say the word,” the President told Vladimir Adamovich, director of the farming company Tsnyanskiye Ekoprodukty.

“No need to be afraid. An executive can run three, four or maybe five enterprises. Even in different regions. Provided he or she has the will and money. But having such executives around, who know the past and the present, is what matters,” the Belarusian leader is convinced.

The head of state emphasized that the management of agricultural enterprises regardless of their form of ownership should support local population. In the future the state will support both private companies and state-run ones bearing solely this factor in mind.

The President was informed about the implementation of the investment project designed to bolster agricultural output and invest in the development of the agricultural company OAO Kosino. In 2015, with approval of the head of state, OAO Kosino shares were transferred from the Logoisk District administration to the private farming company Tsnyanskiye Ekoprodukty. A relevant investment contract was signed. All the agreements are honored. OAO Kosino operates steadily, grows larger, and creates new jobs.

Aleksandr Lukashenko was also made familiar with the progress in the harvesting campaign. “It is needed to harvest about 500,000 tonnes per day. Then we will harvest 1 million tonnes within two days or two and a half days,” the President said.

“The harvesting campaign is in full swing. As of today, over 30% of the areas under crops have been harvested in Belarus. The harvest made up 2.33 million tonnes,” Vice Premier Mikhail Rusy said. “Belarusian agrarians cropped about 340,000 tonnes yesterday.”

Purchase prices for agricultural products, production of certain cultivars, procurement of fodder, fulfillment of the president’s instructions to develop sugar production, and other issues were discussed during the working trip.

The head of state stressed that farms should fulfill the instructions to purchase bailing machines. The President saw Belarusian-made bailing machines which can be used in various conditions.

During the working trip the head of state criticized overspending in the road maintenance. “You have begun to asphalt the ring road again. Because of your work there are traffic jams, and people are stuck (you could work when traffic is less intensive)… It is high time we found out how budget funds are utilized,” the head of state said. “I use that road. Its condition is quite good. Perhaps, we will need to renovate it some time in the future. But we have a schedule. According to it, this road is to be renovated in seven years’ time, and it will be renovated no matter how good it is.”