Working trip to Shklov District, Mogilev Oblast

As part of his extensive working trip to Mogilev Oblast, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko visited a number of places in the town of Shklov.

First of all, Aleksandr Lukashenko went to the Shklov District agricultural service enterprise where a large-scale reconstruction had been completed a few months before upon his instructions. The head of state had already familiarized himself with results of this work, but in the next few days the agricultural service enterprise will become one of the main venues for a nationwide seminar on modern approaches to regional development using Shklov District as an example.

“I came to make sure that [Head of the Belarus President Property Management Directorate Yuri] Nazarov reports to me honestly. After all, a seminar will take place. I need to see everything with my own eyes,” the President noted.

Upon the head of state’s instructions much has been done in Shklov and Shklov District in recent years both for the development of agriculture and for the development of a number of service organizations. Livestock complexes have been modernized and new ones built. Milk processing has been upgraded. A state-of-the-art district agricultural service enterprise has been created virtually from scratch. A combined feed plant has been modernized. The list can go on and on.

Aleksandr Lukashenko had given instructions to make Shklov District a model for the entire country in matters of regional development. In the next few days a nationwide seminar involving heads of district administrations from all over the country will be held there to discuss this topic.

The foundation has been created. Now the head of state wants Chairman of the Shklov District Executive Committee Mikhail Kritsky to ensure that the district operates effectively on its own and that the invested funds produce a return: “I will not come to Shklov District in this manner again and nobody will help out here. That’s it. After the seminar you have to work hard together with everyone else. In order to get results from the land. In Gorodets [during a trip to the agricultural enterprise ASB-Agro Gorodets] calculations were made. You have to add about 30% on top of your current earnings in order to secure breakeven operation. How are you going to repay debts? You have to see it yourself and make iron demands.”

While visiting the Shklov District agricultural service enterprise, Aleksandr Lukashenko once again made sure that everything was in order and that what had been promised had been done. “It is necessary to show [to participants of the seminar] how things should be,” the President noted.

“This means that everything we planned here has been done, so that we can say that the agricultural machinery enterprise has been restored and the district agricultural service enterprise exists. This means that we can already repair equipment and service equipment here,” Aleksandr Lukashenko concluded.

An important point is that the district agricultural service enterprise has a section for servicing milking machines.

The President wants all equipment repaired by district agricultural service enterprises in tight interaction with domestic manufacturing plants. So that instead of simply supplying spare parts they also provide assistance and share their competences if necessary. In fact, these should be full-fledged service centers like the ones Belarus has organized abroad. The head of state was informed that the agricultural service enterprise in Shklov is already working on it and cooperates with manufacturers of machines and vehicles.

There is a vehicle service station on the premises of the agricultural service enterprise in Shklov. Both trucks and cars can get maintenance over there.

Aleksandr Lukashenko examined everything in detail and summed it up: “A good place. You just need to step it up and develop all of it further. So that at this site we could provide not only the services we provided back then [in previous years] but three times as many.” 

Traditionally Aleksandr Lukashenko reminded those present about labor and technological discipline: “Every day I become convinced of it. And today I became convinced: we know how to do everything. They know how, they know what needs to be done. But they don’t do it. We keep talking about market economy. We’ve loosened up people.” The President explained that in this case he was referring to the quality of cultivation of the territories he most often drives past. Executives and other officials in charge at agricultural organizations should strictly control the volume and quality of the work performed by machine operators and pay for their labor accordingly.

The second stop on Aleksandr Lukashenko’s itinerary in Shklov was the territory of a former furniture factory.

The possibility of setting up a new modern facility to make lightweight steel thin-wall structures here is under consideration. These structures were used in the course of building the Minsk city infectious diseases hospital, which was solemnly opened with the President’s participation on 30 October.

Aleksandr Lukashenko spoke highly of this technology and spoke in favor of more widely using these structures in civil engineering. To this end it is necessary to expand the existing manufacturing enterprise. And the President proposed placing it at the site in Shklov.

“A solid building. It needs to be put in order and turned into a plant,” the head of state said while talking about the former factory in Shklov. The production areas are partially in use now. The President was informed that a private company owns the place now. It makes nothing but in turn, it rents out individual premises to other private enterprises for small manufacturing operations. For instance, to make cardboard packaging.

Aleksandr Lukashenko gave instructions to study everything carefully and design it, to put things in order both inside the manufacturing premises and outside.

“All of it should be done by the end of next year. Everyone should be mobilized,” the head of state instructed.

As for the existing tenants, Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “If they make what is needed, let them do it. We need to set shop here without offending them. There is plenty of space, after all. There is no need to drive anyone out if a person works. It has to be done carefully. Do not offend those who do business here. They buy pasteboard and stamp something here. Let them work. After all, it is our people who work. We should help these private owners if necessary. I praise them for doing the work. This is why let them work. We should help manufacturers.”

The President was informed that the total area of the former factory is 5,000m2 while only 2,000m2 are needed for the new facility to make steel structures.

The load-bearing structures, walls, and floors are solid, but it looks like everything leaves much to be desired. It is clear that since the days of the furniture factory no one has invested much in repairs. The President cited how the former territory of the MotoVeloZavod plant in Minsk had been redeveloped for manufacturing needs as an example. The same approach should be embraced in Shklov.

“People work here in wild conditions. It is understandable: they bring a machine tool and set it up. Let them work, but we need proper order here, we need a good manufacturing facility,” the Belarusian leader instructed. “This is private property for you and this is an example of market economy for you. This is not right. And it is not only in Shklov.”

“You simply have to understand that there is no need to rush to privatize all of this. So it was privatized. What has changed here since Soviet times? Things have gotten worse. That is all the privatization there is. A private owner squeezes out something for himself, he has his own plans: to provide for his family or to take this money out and hide it somewhere. But we have a state. We have to provide for our state. Sometimes I think: Lord, here in Belarus on these stony soils, on clay and sand we have fed people, $10 billion worth of exports. Ukraine is at war. I have walked on Ukrainian soils. If only we had soils like those in Ukraine… But we do not have them. That is why there is no need to rush.”

The President pointed out that specialists will most likely have to be brought in from elsewhere for the sake of the new manufacturing facility in Shklov. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide them with rental housing. “If specialists come, we will build housing for them here. We will build a good house for the specialists,” the head of state said.

Speaking about the development of Shklov District, the President emphasized its advantageous location on logistics routes between east and west, between north and south. There is a railway nearby as well as international motorways and airports in Mogilev and Bolbasovo. Therefore, there is an opportunity to develop existing production facilities here and create new ones in the future.

“Shklov is one of the country’s most advantageous hubs for life and for manufacturing. An ideal place. And certainly it will be developed,” Aleksandr Lukashenko is convinced.

The President emphasized that his attention to Shklov District and the creation of a model for regional development on its basis are not driven by the mere fact that it is his home area. “Shklov is important to me because I know every square meter here,” the head of state said.

“We will show what a district should be like. And off you go, do it the way it is done here,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said, referring to the upcoming seminar.