A. Lukashenko considers it possible to harvest 9 million tons of grain this year

August 20, Minsk / BELTA /. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko made a working trip to the Vitebsk region on August 20. The head of state was acquainted with the progress of harvesting operations in the region. Special attention was paid to the optimization of grain crop structure in the risk farming zone. In addition, during the visit to farms in the Tolochin district, the important issue of developing fruit growing and potato growing in the country was raised. The President was informed about the implementation of his previous instructions in this regard, BELTA was informed by the press service of the head of state. Speaking about the grain harvest in the country, Alexander Lukashenko demanded that its quality be put first: "If during my visits to the Brest and Grodno regions I spoke about the priority of speed, then today for us, not speed, but the quality of grain harvesting is most important. We cannot rush today." Currently, about 7.5 million tons of grain have been threshed in Belarus. The head of state considers it possible to achieve a harvest of 9 million tons. At the same time, the President noted: "Today, the Vitebsk and Mogilev regions depend most on whether we will have the planned bread or not." In addition, the head of state drew attention to the need for high-quality harvesting of corn, not only for silage but also for grain and seeds - harvesting operations for these crops are just around the corner. Regarding the specifics of farming in the Vitebsk region, the President demanded that Governor Alexander Ksinets determine the optimal structure of sown areas by crops in the near future. In doing so, it is necessary to rely primarily on the achievements of agricultural science and advanced experience. In particular, in the northern region, it is possible to grow more grain crops that have a shorter vegetation period. Alexander Lukashenko also considers it necessary to optimize certain areas of animal husbandry in the region, in particular, to breed more cattle, as there are sufficient agricultural lands and pastures for this (the Vitebsk region has many marginal lands suitable for grazing cattle). "I hope that the Vitebsk region will set an example for the whole country in the efficient production of cheap beef," said the head of state. During the conversation in a barley field belonging to the Tolochin Cannery, recommendations from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the National Academy of Sciences were made, which boil down to the expediency of reducing the areas for growing grain crops to 350 thousand hectares in the Vitebsk region, due to the soil characteristics of the region. "It is much more productive if we limit ourselves to smaller arable areas but cultivate them properly. Then, with much lower costs, we will get decent grain yields," explained Mikhail Kadyrov, First Deputy General Director of the Scientific and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Agriculture. At the same time, much has been done in the Vitebsk region this year to bring previously unused lands into crop rotation, the arable land area for grain crops has been increased, and a good harvest for these places has been obtained. The President particularly noted the successes of the Vitebsk region in replenishing agricultural lands with new lands. Alexander Lukashenko supported the seed production program developed by Belarusian scientists, which allows for the introduction of new seed varieties within 3-4 years. The implementation of this project requires additional funds, which will be directed to the modernization of the country's scientific seed centers. In total, 40 plants have been established in Belarus to produce elite seeds. The successful implementation of the program is intended to bring Belarus's crop production up to European standards. Regarding the subsidization of agricultural production, the head of state stated that the criteria for distributing state support to agricultural enterprises should be changed. "This is an idea that needs to be worked out: let's link assistance to performance indicators, primarily to profit dynamics," the President proposed. "Those who show the greatest increase, who demonstrate positive dynamics, should receive more." Gross indicators should not dominate in determining these criteria, although they cannot be abandoned. In turn, the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Semen Shapiro, informed the head of state that his ministry is currently developing a new system for evaluating the performance of agricultural enterprises. In particular, the volume of foreign currency earnings received by the enterprise is taken into account. If it comes to milk yields, then, according to the minister, this indicator should be calculated based on the volumes sold by the farm, rather than the actual yield, which will eliminate the temptation for falsification. Samples of agricultural machinery produced by factories in the Vitebsk region were presented to the President in the field. Specific instructions were given on some unique samples of equipment for chemical plant treatment. The President, in particular, demanded to achieve maximum localization of production and to seriously consider the possibility of exporting these machines. Then Alexander Lukashenko visited the garden of the Tolochin Cannery, where he was shown the process of harvesting chokeberries, and was also informed about the implementation of the "Fruit Growing" and "Potato Growing" programs in the country. The head of state examined samples of the plant's products and promising potato varieties developed by the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. It should be noted that one of these varieties, "Zdobytak" (in its export version, "Magnat"), is registered according to EU standards (the only "native" of the CIS) and has received wide recognition there. The Tolochin Cannery produces fruit and grape wines, potato starch, and also grows potatoes, grain and oil crops, fruits, and berries. Currently, the enterprise is undergoing reconstruction, while its material and technical base is being strengthened with a focus on agricultural production. In accordance with the Comprehensive Program for the Development of Small and Medium-Sized Urban Settlements for 2006-2010, the "Fruit Growing" program for 2004-2010, and the Program for the Development of Scientific and Practical Centers of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Potato Growing and Vegetable Growing, Mechanization of Agriculture and Food for 2006-2010, the reconstruction of the juice shop and the construction of a fruit storage facility with a capacity of 2.4 thousand tons are being completed at the enterprise. Bottle washing and rinsing machines have been purchased and are being installed, and design and estimate documentation for the construction of a vegetable storage facility with a capacity of 12 thousand tons is being prepared. The area of the industrial fruit and berry garden at the plant is 502 hectares. Thus, the President's instruction to establish new orchards in the region has been fulfilled. However, a number of unresolved problems remain. Thus, Alexander Lukashenko demanded that top priority be given to solving the problem of storing harvested vegetables and fruits. "Funds must be allocated for the construction of new storage facilities," the head of state demanded. After visiting the garden, Alexander Lukashenko inspected a new fruit and vegetable storage facility, also belonging to the Tolochin Cannery. During the working trip, the President answered journalists' questions. In particular, Alexander Lukashenko stated that he does not intend to abandon personal control of the situation in the countryside. "If you want to effectively manage the system as a whole, you need to see how the subsystems work, in this case, the agro-industrial complex. If the President has such powers in the country according to the Constitution and does not know how a peasant lives, then such a President is worthless. I must personally see the situation, communicating in the fields with machine operators, managers, scientists, and administrators, discussing here how agriculture is developing, at what level it is. All this is done to determine the strategy for the further development of the countryside. The main strategic issues have been resolved here, but problems sometimes arise. For example, we are called "bulbashy" (potato growers), but now there is no longer the same "bulba" (potato) as before. This year, we will complete the development of a special program, determine how much potato we need for the domestic market, how much potato we can sell. But we will bring back this crop, which is invaluable to us. It is very profitable and promising," the head of state emphasized. Speaking about the development of fruit growing in the country, the President noted: "It would seem that a program for fruit growing has been developed, good orchards have been planted. What's next? It turns out that they forgot that the main thing is processing and storage. In this regard, Belarusian specialists need to more actively engage in the construction of fruit and vegetable storage facilities. This means that it is important to visit here and solve problems. We cannot distance ourselves from the lives of peasants." Answering the question of whether it is possible to release the agro-industrial complex into "free float" financially, Alexander Lukashenko noted: "Much has been done in this direction. Previously, we divided money equally among everyone; now we try to invest in promising projects that yield the greatest returns, and tomorrow only those who ensure high profitability and efficiency will receive money. There is dynamics - get money, there is none - you won't get money. We are no longer burying money in the ground. It goes towards housing construction, equipment, fertilizers, machine yards, complexes, etc. Money is no longer distributed just like that." Journalists also asked the President to comment on the issue of reducing stocks of finished products in enterprise warehouses. "I would express moderate optimism regarding the unloading of enterprise warehouses. There is dynamics: 7-10%. It would be desirable to have more, but in this situation, one rejoices even at such a result. There have been small shifts in this issue recently. Why did I slightly delay the government's report? I thought they would hardly turn around in this situation. It turned out they did. The situation has stabilized with good dynamics in unloading warehouses. If the government works at this pace, it means it is worth something; if it fails again, then the question of their specific work will arise again. Much also depends on the heads of enterprises. Yesterday, I very strictly raised the issue of the head of 'Horizont'. We will strictly assess this enterprise. Nothing has changed there over the past years. There are still a number of such managers. If they do not understand that they need to add, and add significantly, then we will refuse to cooperate with them." Journalists were also interested in Belarus's relations with Russia. "We agreed with the President of Russia - back in Bishkek, on Issyk-Kul - that we need to outline the agenda of complex issues in the near future and discuss them. Now Dmitry Anatolyevich, as you know, is in Sochi. Yesterday he invited me to meet. We will discuss the entire spectrum of complex issues - those that have not been resolved so far. For me, the most important thing is to proceed from the principle: agreed - let's fulfill. That's the main thing, nothing else is needed. So that it doesn't happen that we agree with the President of Russia, then they expect something from us, we expect something from them, and the agreements are not realized because they fail, figuratively speaking, at lower levels. Then there will be no misinterpretations about where Belarus "is heading," where it is "reorienting," which vector it prefers - Western, Southern, or some other," the head of state said. Answering a question about Belarus's cooperation with the European Union, the President stated: "We are ready to conduct a dialogue with the European Union on all issues. The agenda has been set, and the dialogue seems to be going well. I do not want to reiterate the positive things that we have already done in cooperation with the European Union. I have repeatedly thanked for the support provided to us by the IMF, individual European states. We have repeatedly discussed the investment attractiveness of our country, the fact that Western investors are coming to us, and so on... But I will mention one problem: I would like to warn Europeans that if they think they can constantly set conditions for us, because, allegedly, Belarus's relations with Russia have deteriorated (and we have good, excellent relations with Russia, although there are, yes, some problems, but problems only arise for those who do nothing), and, they say, we will now "twist" Lukashenko's arm, he will release all criminals from prisons and break all legislation - if they think so, they are mistaken. Belarus is ready to work on a fully-fledged and mutually beneficial basis with both the European Union and the United States. But the West should not count on a situation where we (the West) will "twist" something, put pressure, and the Belarusian leadership will be forced to make concessions. I am often criticized for allegedly clinging to power. But I am vested with the corresponding right according to the Constitution. If someone in the West expects that this power can be taken away through some machinations and transferred to the opposition - nothing of the sort will happen. Belarus strives to conduct an honest dialogue with Europe, and more and more politicians in the West understand this. But do not try to bend us over backward. We will not die anyway. We will ensure our sovereignty and independence. And we will ensure normal, comfortable living conditions for people - you yourselves see what we have learned in the economy and what we have achieved in recent years." The President was asked about his reaction to Georgia's withdrawal from the CIS. "Of course, the fact that Georgia has withdrawn from the Commonwealth of Independent States is regrettable. I think it is a mistake by the leadership. Some time will pass, perhaps these wounds will heal, and Georgia will return to the Commonwealth. We would all welcome this very much - all states, including Russia. But I must say that this is a formal withdrawal. According to all the agreements that Georgia has signed, it has undertaken to fulfill all its obligations," said Alexander Lukashenko. -0-