Visit to ASB-Agro Gorodets in Shklov District

We need to build small farms for fattening beef cattle across the country, primarily in remote districts where dairy farming is unprofitable but the feed base allows for keeping a relatively small beef herd, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during a working trip to Shklov District.

“We will have to do this. In Vitebsk Oblast, certainly,” the head of state said.

He is confident that there are many such areas in Mogilev Oblast and Minsk Oblast and partly in other regions too. Accordingly, there is a need to develop pedigree livestock breeding in the country.

“We need to build them in such ‘out-of-the-way’ places. We need to get a move on. We need to do all this quickly,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.

He explained that on small tracts of land remote from farm centers, it is often unprofitable, both from a logistics and an economic point of view, to maintain a dairy complex. It also requires a larger workforce. But there is an opportunity to develop the beef sector, which now has a good export potential and brings profit.

"There are 200 hectares of land. 200 hectares can feed 100 head. So it makes send to set up a farm with all the accompanying infrastructure,” the head of state said by way of example.

“We need to take a sensible approach to deciding what to do where. And do it thoroughly and with modern technology,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.

In Shklov District, the head of state toured the ASB-Agro Gorodets enterprise, where he heard a report on the performance and development prospects of this agricultural company. Aleksandr Lukashenko came to see the enterprise before, in September 2025. At that time, he gave a critical assessment of what he saw and demanded that perfect order be established at all of the enterprise’s facilities, including the maintenance yard, the dairy complex, and the agricultural plots. 

In May 2026, the shares of ASB-Agro Gorodets were transferred to the economic management of the Mogilevoblgaz state enterprise. A comprehensive modernization program for the agricultural enterprise for 2026–2027 was developed, with an estimated funding of around Br86.5 million.

One of the items on the program was the construction of a farm for breeding pedigree beef cattle with a capacity of 800 head. Aleksandr Lukashenko inspected the new facility.

Currently, 235 young Hereford cattle have arrived at the farm for a future pedigree beef herd. The meat of this breed is known for its distinct marbling and rich flavor profile.

“Why are we inspecting this fattening complex? Because this is what will need to be done in many regions,” the head of state emphasized.

The program provides for the construction of maintenance shops with auxiliary facilities, the modernization of a mineral fertilizer storage warehouse, the construction of a calf nursery and silage trenches, as well as the reconstruction of a young cattle fattening farm.

The head of state criticized the managers, noting that modernization work at the enterprise had only begun after his instruction. “That’s exactly where our trouble lies, that’s what our problems are all about. Unless we’re told to do something, we do nothing,” he remarked.

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed the importance of maintaining not only labor discipline but also discipline in paying wages to diligent workers. People must understand that their income depends directly on the effort they put in. “All the layabouts and drunkards should see for themselves — it's the one who works who earns,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.

He also recalled that when making decisions on the development of agricultural enterprises and the setting up of various facilities, it is important to base them on both the economics of manufacture and local realities and people’s lives.

The modernization of ASB-Agro Gorodets is part of the overall plan for the development of Shklov District. “It should be, if not a model, then an example of the path for the districts to follow,” the head of state said. The relevant approaches will soon be discussed at a seminar with the President’s participation.

Aleksandr Lukashenko particularly stressed that there should be no dependency mentality in agriculture. It is important to understand whom to support and whom not to.

“Money must be invested to yield a return,” the President said.

The head of state generally wants to give a serious boost to the development of agricultural production in the east of the country - in Vitebsk Oblast, Mogilev Oblast and Gomel Oblast. “We have already shown you everything, ways it should be done. We will demand results. Considerable money has been invested. We need results,” he said.