Working trip to Pruzhany District, Brest Oblast

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko toured the Zhuravlinoye farm during his working trip to Pruzhany District on 19 August.

Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to the use of mineral fertilizers, since in many respects this is the basis of harvest. The volumes should be maintained next year and gradually increased in the future.

This year, farmers expect to harvest about 11 million tonnes of grain, including more than 8 million tonnes of spiked cereals. Plus there will be rapeseed and corn, Agriculture and Food Minister Igor Brylo reported to the president.

"We need to keep the use of mineral fertilizers at this year’s level and gradually increase the volumes. Then we will consistently have the harvest of 11-11.5 million tonnes of grain," the head of state said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that such yield was expected to achieve within two years. But the target was already met this year. Good weather also helped. But in general, what is important is competent management and strict observance of technologies, the president drew attention.

Igor Brylo promised that on Sunday the country’s harvest of spiked cereals will reach 7 million tonnes. This will account for about 85% of the areas to be harvested. Particular attention is paid to the harvesting of downed crops. The farms have the necessary equipment to crop them.

The yield also depends on the use of glyphosates: herbicides, which are used to control weeds. It would be good to produce them in Belarus, the minister said. The basis of the herbicide is Chinese. "Why not come to an agreement with the Chinese? There are no unsurmountable problems. We need to work on this," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

On the fields of the Zhuravlinoye farm the president was shown seeds of rapeseed varieties and hybrids, and also products made from rapeseed at the enterprise Agroprodukt.

“Was the decision on rapeseed the right one?” Aleksandr Lukashenko asked.

Brest Oblast Governor Yuri Shuleiko assured the head of state that the decision was the right one. The demand for rapeseed products is on the rise. The rapeseed areas are expanded every year, and the yields are gradually increasing.

The head of state reiterated the importance of additional support for farmers. Social issues is of crucial importance and should be addressed on a par with the issues related to output and efficiency.

“We need to help our farmers, too,” the Belarusian leader stressed.

The head of state raised the same issue during his recent visit to the V. I. Kremko Production Cooperative in Grodno Oblast. The president stressed that the social sector should be taken into account even if the enterprise is less profitable.

At the Zhuravlinoye farm Aleksandr Lukashenko also got familiar with the rapeseed cultivation technology and available machinery.

The head of state recalled that now one of the most important tasks is to phase out imports. “Up to the point of getting permission to buy a combine harvester or a seeder. You should buy mostly Belarus-made machinery. Otherwise, our machinery producers will never have enough workload,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.

At the same time, the president noted that equipment manufacturers should provide warranty service for at least three years.