Optimization of Belarus's agro-industrial complex will continue through the consolidation of farms - A. Lukashenko

August 10, Minsk /BELTA/. The optimization of Belarus' agro-industrial complex will be continued through the consolidation of farms, but this process must be natural. This was stated on August 8 by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko during his visit to the agricultural production cooperative "Ostromechevo" in the Brest region, BELTA was informed by the press service of the head of state. On the second day of his working trip to the regions of the country, the President visited one of the largest enterprises in the Brest region, the agricultural production cooperative "Ostromechevo". In terms of gross agricultural output, the cooperative ranks second in the region, and leads in grain yield: last year this figure was 58.2 centners per hectare, and this year it is 55.5 centners per hectare. The farm has also achieved significant success in livestock production. In 2008, the agricultural production cooperative "Ostromechevo" ranked seventh in the Brest region for milk yield (over 7,000 kg per cow). Alexander Lukashenko noted that Belarus has examples of farms that should serve as a model for all agricultural enterprises. "We already have a lot of such exemplary farms that everyone should emulate in terms of land management, technologies, discipline, and so on," said the head of state, citing the agricultural production cooperative "Ostromechevo" he was visiting as one such example. The President emphasized the expediency of gradually consolidating farms in the regions. The optimal farm size, in his opinion, is about 10,000 hectares. "However, it is impossible to artificially force everyone into large farms. I am a staunch opponent of artificial consolidation: if a small farm is profitable, then let it remain so," he said. For example, the agro-industrial complex of the Brest region, according to Alexander Lukashenko, "is structured as it should be," and therefore "we need to go to other regions and see what needs to be done there." The Belarusian leader admitted that he previously considered smaller farm sizes (around 5,000 hectares) to be more preferable. "But now, as technologies change, and we need to approach discipline differently, and count money, small farms do not always work effectively. Large farms are needed," the President stressed. He added that another factor convincing of the need for consolidation is that more and more rural residents are moving to agro-towns and cities. "We will not make a mistake with consolidation, as long as we do not carry it out artificially," the head of state emphasized again. "We will create large land complexes and develop production on them," he added. According to the head of state, there are various models for the effective organization of agricultural enterprises today. He also recalled his requirement that modern technologies should be implemented everywhere, not just in individual farms. During his visit to the Brest region, Alexander Lukashenko also touched upon the issue of cattle housing technologies. In particular, grazing of dairy herds should be minimized, and grazing of beef breeds should be carried out mainly on marginal lands, floodplains, and meadows. The President once again focused attention on the need to move away from subsidizing agriculture in the next five-year period. "We will help farms only on essential matters. The state should deal with its own set of issues: land, roads, social sphere. And the production sphere is the responsibility of enterprise managers," he stressed. Alexander Lukashenko also focused on the organization of grain drying, processing, storage, and seed preparation. The country has 3,300 grain drying complexes and 2,300 individual small dryers. This year, 104 complexes have been commissioned. 600,000 tons of grain with a moisture content of no more than 20% are processed per day. The head of state was informed about the progress of the modernization program for grain drying complexes in the farms of the Brest region. Brest Governor Konstantin Sumar raised the issue of breeding during his conversation with the President. He noted that the testing period for newly developed seed varieties in Belarus is currently too long – 4-5 years, and the full breeding cycle takes 9-10 years. As a result, domestic crop production is forced to lag behind foreign countries in the pace of adopting new varieties. In this regard, the chairman of the regional executive committee proposed using developed varieties that have not yet completed the entire testing procedure in crop rotation – this would save time. Belarusian scientists also recognize the need to shorten the timelines. At the same time, there is a risk that shortening the research period for the development and introduction of new grain crop varieties may lead to certain negative consequences. In this situation, the head of state considers it necessary to find a solution to this problem through experimentation. He also stressed that seed breeding technologies in Belarus need to be improved. The President visited the grain reception area and the dairy farm at the agricultural production cooperative "Ostromechevo". Alexander Lukashenko was pleased with what he saw and highly praised the work of the Brest agrarians. -0-