Belarusian agricultural machinery is planned to be sold to farms in 2011 on lease terms with a 50% subsidy.

October 19, Minsk / Tatyana Lobas - BELTA /. In 2011, it is planned to sell agricultural machinery developed under state programs to farms in Belarus on a long-term lease basis with a 50% state subsidy. This was announced at the international conference "Scientific and Technological Progress in Agricultural Production" by Vladimir Samosyuk, General Director of the Scientific and Practical Center for Mechanization of Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Doctor of Economic Sciences, according to a BELTA correspondent. This decision is planned to be made based on a more detailed study of this issue with the participation of leading scientists and designers in the field of agricultural machinery. "In 2011, the cost of machinery developed under state scientific and technical programs will be reduced by 50%. This will make it easier for us, developers and designers, to implement our developments. This is our great achievement, and it will only benefit domestic science and Belarusian manufacturers," emphasized Vladimir Samosyuk. The General Director of the center also reported that the Concept of a System of Advanced Machines for 2011-2015 has been developed, which includes a specific list of machinery for each sector of the agro-industrial complex. "These will be new-generation machines and equipment that will optimize capital investments in re-equipping the fleet, ensure a significant increase in labor productivity, reduce energy and resource consumption, create favorable conditions for agricultural production, and ultimately increase its competitiveness," the head emphasized. The concept, developed by the National Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, includes 435 types of machines and equipment, including 327 for crop production and 108 for livestock production. According to Vladimir Samosyuk, the most promising direction should be the creation of new tractors and combines with an engine power of up to 350 hp. According to specialists' calculations, the share of energy-intensive tractors with an engine power of over 300 hp should be at least 15%, or 8,000 units, in the new five-year period. It is planned to develop and master the production of modular tillage units with a working width of 9 m and 12 m. The Pronto DS unit from Horsch (Germany) can be taken as a foreign analogue. Direct seeding drills with a working width of 6 m will be developed. It is planned to introduce new types of fertilizer application machines that would be more mobile on waterlogged fields. Currently, the renewal rate of such machines does not exceed 1-2% per year. This is 5-10 times lower than the required innovation rate. Farms need silo-type grain storage facilities, the total capacity of which in the republic should ensure the storage of at least 6 million tons of grain. An urgent problem, according to the scientist, remains the provision of farms with high-quality seed material. For this purpose, Belarus plans to build 40 seed plants and lines with a capacity of 5-12 thousand tons of seeds per year in the new five-year period. Scientists are ready to provide farms with designs for such lines. At the request of the agricultural sector, a self-propelled potato harvester, a set of machines for harvesting carrots and table beets, a modular container-type dryer for onion sets, and a set of equipment for creating a microclimate in vegetable storage facilities will be created. The implementation of the Concept of a System of Advanced Machines, upon its full mastery, will reduce operating costs for the production of winter wheat and spring barley by up to 20%, sugar beet - by up to 10%, corn for silage - by up to 15%, potatoes - by up to 40%, fuel costs for the production of winter wheat and spring barley - by up to 30%, sugar beet - by up to 12%, corn - by up to 25%, potatoes - by up to 45%. Scientists and designers from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and Israel are participating in the conference. The forum will last until October 20. More than 130 reports are planned to be heard and discussed at the plenary sessions. -0-