Young livestock breeders in the Vitebsk region will receive additional payments from March 1
Already in their April salary, young veterinarians and zootechnicians in the Vitebsk region will be able to receive Br1 thousand in additional payments from the regional budget, which was mentioned at a recent meeting of the Regional Executive Committee by the head of the region, Nikolai Sherstnev. Today, at an extraordinary session of the Regional Council of Deputies, a draft decision on an additional social support measure for graduates of agricultural universities and secondary specialized educational institutions was adopted.
"Additional payments to the salary for graduates of higher and secondary specialized educational institutions of agricultural focus will amount to Br1 thousand. We have calculated that currently, in the region, at more than 130 agricultural enterprises that are part of agro-industrial associations under Decree No. 70, 88 graduates of 2020 are working, who also fall under this decision. For 10 months of this year, the maximum total amount of payments for them will be about Br880 thousand. According to preliminary estimates, about Br2.8 million will be allocated annually from the regional budget for additional financial assistance to young livestock specialists in the Vitebsk region," said Boris Efremov.
The Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee emphasized that the problem with personnel in the agricultural sector in the Vitebsk region is acute. The Vitebsk region is currently short of more than 120 veterinarians and almost 90 zootechnicians. "We hope that additional financial incentives will attract young people to livestock farming. We expect to receive a return from young specialists. This incentive measure is aimed not only at maintaining a decent salary but also at increasing responsibility in work. When forming the regional budget for subsequent years, funds will be allocated for payments to young specialists of agricultural enterprises so that they can receive an additional Br1 thousand to their salary for 3 years," noted Boris Efremov.
He added that district council deputies will be tasked with visiting each of these young specialists, familiarizing themselves with their working conditions on-site, and learning how veterinarians and zootechnicians observe labor discipline. On average, each district has 4-5 such specialists, so it has been instructed to hold meetings with young personnel in the near future.