Alexander Subbotin spoke about the details of the conversation held with the President

On Monday evening, on the air of the TV channel "Belarus 1", the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Alexander Subbotin, spoke about the details of the conversation held with the President, which lasted for a record time – more than an hour and a half. 

Without cameras, of course, the conversation was not about victories, but about tasks and problems. We offer readers the print version of the interview.

On crop yield

— This year, we have six and a half centners more than last year. Of course, the weather helped, the technological discipline was observed more intensively, and a little more fertilizer was applied. Therefore, all factors contributed to such a result. Winter rapeseed did not perform very well. A lot of crops died, more than a third had to be re-sown. And its yield is very weak, not as usual. We harvested only under 14 centners of winter rapeseed. Although spring rapeseed, which is usually worse, shows very good figures in 2022. There are even fields where the yield was 38 centners per hectare.

As of today, we have sown slightly more than 53 thousand hectares of winter rapeseed. We are stopping here and moving on to the next crops – winter grains.

For the future, we are trying to maintain the optimal structure (of sown areas. – Ed.) specifically for the Vitebsk region, as advised by the Academy of Sciences. Approximately 60-65 percent is the winter acreage, and then each crop has its own niche and segment.

Last year, we conducted a pilot project for sugar beet – we sowed 180 hectares and obtained a yield of over 600 centners. This is a good result.

On flax harvest

— All the flax has been pulled out, now it is being turned over, the fiber is "ripening". About 15 percent has already been rolled up and removed from the fields. The task is to remove and store the entire harvest at flax mills by September 15. This year, the yield is slightly higher, and the quality of flax fiber is slightly better. Last year it was 0.93-0.94, and this year – 1.02-1.04… We will probably not abandon full import at the Orsha Flax Mill, but we are trying to load the flax mill with our products as much as possible.

On demand

On linen clothing

— There is demand. Moreover, according to new technologies, the fabric is not just stiff linen; its fibers are cottonized, making it soft and not always wrinkled. That is, depending on the technologies and the addition of this or that fiber to the fabric, we can obtain a product of any quality.

The main task now is to sell not fabric, but ready-made clothes.

On food innovations

— The indicators for the meat and dairy industries in the first half of 2022 were not pleasing. We were slightly below 100 percent. But in September, we plan to reach last year's level and move forward, increasing. In parallel, of course, we pay great attention to quality. So that milk of the "extra" grade, which is more suitable for cheese, is close to 100 percent. Currently, it is 84 percent. This is also a very good indicator. But there is room for growth...

Of course, great attention is paid to the development of new, updated production programs at all processing plants and to obtaining more profitable new products that will delight us with their new, unusual appearance and taste.

This is not only a competitive advantage. It is a joy when your product is on the table, when it has some zest, and you can even boast about it to guests. Among the latest examples, our "Vitebskhlebprom" has created a new line of very tasty karavai (round loaves). I recommend them to you! For now, they are sold only in specialized branded stores. This is rye bread – fluffy, aromatic, which does not go stale for a long time, despite the fact that there is nothing artificial in it. Everything is natural – not a single chemical additive. There are also unique features in sausages, semi-finished products, and separately – in salo (cured pork fat).

On import substitution in the food industry

— I think we have replaced almost the entire range... And this is an indicator that this industry is highly technological and we can achieve the desired taste. For example, "Molochy Mir" has started producing a range with truffles. I don't think this cheese will leave anyone indifferent.

We will not be ashamed of our country in the area of food security, the same cheeses, dairy products, any meat products. Only pride that we have tasty and natural products.

Everything grows here. I saw at the market that Vitebsk melons and watermelons are sold. And they are no worse in quality and sugar content than Astrakhan or Uzbek ones. Perhaps, one culture or another is a bit more troublesome. But everything is real, everything works out. This is an indicator that those who want to, seek opportunities.

On the capacity utilization of Vitebsk "processing"

— The dairy industry in the Vitebsk region is not sufficiently utilized: at 76-80 percent. There are only two enterprises with one hundred percent capacity utilization, and this indicates that we have room for growth and for generating export revenue in the future. Meat production is utilized at 30-35 percent, but this refers to slaughterhouses. Sausage and canning plants are utilized at 60-70 percent. This means that slaughter products are not massively exported, as was the case before; they are used to produce semi-finished products or sausage products – a high-margin product.

On exports

— Last year, we increased exports to Europe by about 60 percent compared to the previous year. And the share of China increased by about 70 percent, and the Middle East actively opened its markets for us. But these sanctions and unfair pressure on our country have, of course, brought us back to our previous limits a bit. Russia traditionally remained a reliable and main partner. Its share increased because transnational corporations left the Russian market. They simply abandoned both factories and stores...

On fodder procurement

— It is not in my nature to boast, but we are currently the first in the country in fodder procurement. We have almost 15 centners of fodder units per conventional head. We have collected two cuttings. We want to reach 30 centners to have a one-and-a-half-year supply of fodder. And, of course, the emphasis is on corn. We have almost 100,000 hectares of it.

"SB", photo by BELTA,