Meeting with Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Qu Dongyu

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko met with met Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Qu Dongyu in Minsk on 1 June.

“There is much to discuss today. Your visit to Belarus is no coincidence, given that our country plays a crucial role in ensuring the global food security,” the head of state said.

“You are well aware of our capabilities and our policies in the field of food production, technologies, and our role in ensuring global food security. We have a highly developed agricultural sector, and we produce the full range of necessary agricultural machinery for cultivating various crops,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted. “Most importantly, today we cooperate with those states that need technologies in the field of agribusiness. We not only sell food there, but do everything to ensure that these countries and their citizens have the ability to manufacture agricultural products themselves. We train people both there and in Belarus, and we have achieved a great deal in food production and providing food for the citizens, for example, of Africa."

Speaking on current issues, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted not only the global food shortage, which has been felt for a long time, but now also a shortage of mineral fertilizers. “Due to the fact that geopolitical processes have taken an unfavorable turn, we are now seeing a global shortage, particularly of mineral fertilizers, which naturally help increase crop yields for various crops, especially wheat and corn. As a result, the food problem is becoming more acute,” the President said.

“You should know that we are ready to contribute to supplying the world’s consumers with mineral fertilizers. Moreover, Belarusian producers account for about 20% of all mineral fertilizers in the world. Therefore, any sanctions restrictions, any attempts to isolate Belarus from the global mineral fertilizer market are counterproductive and have a very negative impact on providing the planet’s population with food,” the Belarusian leader said. “We are ready to cooperate with you more broadly to supply the global community with mineral fertilizers, support the agricultural sector, and improve global food security.”

"You know our capabilities. Tell us what we Belarusians should do to improve the situation with food supply for the population of our planet,” Aleksandr Lukashenko concluded.