The President of Belarus approved the state program for sustainable rural development for 2011-2015

August 3, Minsk /Corr. BELTA/. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko signed Decree No. 342 "On the State Program for Sustainable Development of the Village for 2011-2015" on August 1, the press service of the Belarusian leader informed BELTA.

The program aims to ensure sustainable socio-economic development of rural areas and improve their demographic situation by increasing the economic efficiency of the agro-industrial complex, developing entrepreneurial initiative, ensuring the balance of the domestic food market, increasing export potential, raising the incomes of the rural population, improving the social and domestic conditions and engineering infrastructure of rural settlements, preserving and improving their ecology, and attracting and rationally using investments.

The program includes 19 target programs aimed at implementing specific measures in various sectors of the agro-industrial complex (land reclamation, technical support, dairy industry, poultry farming, pig farming, potato growing, vegetable and fruit growing, flax production and processing, breeding, selection and seed production, and others).

In accordance with the program, in 2011-2015, it is planned to increase production in farms of all categories by 139-145%, with sales profitability in agriculture expected to be 10-11% in 2015, and labor productivity growth rate to be 167%.

In 2015, it is planned to produce 12 million tons of grain, 5.5 million tons of sugar beet, 60 thousand tons of flax fiber, 1.06 million tons of rapeseed, 7.75 million tons of potatoes and 2.16 million tons of other vegetables, 10.7 million tons of milk, and 2 million tons of livestock and poultry (live weight).

Export deliveries of agricultural products and food in 2015 will amount to $7.2 billion, with a balance of plus $4 billion.

In the social sphere of rural areas, further development of the infrastructure of agro-towns is envisaged in order to meet the standards of social and domestic services in rural areas and to create a favorable regime for the development of small businesses, individual entrepreneurship, and personal subsidiary plots of citizens.

The average monthly wage will be brought closer to the average wage across the republic.

It is planned to allocate Br29.7 trillion of budget funds for the program implementation, including Br27 trillion, or 91%, for the development of the production sphere, and Br2.7 trillion, or 9%, for the social sphere.

In addition, Br15.3 trillion of budget funds will be additionally directed to the implementation of targeted programs, including Br12.4 trillion for the development of the agro-industrial complex, Br2.9 trillion for social and engineering-transport infrastructure, as well as Br67.8 trillion of credit funds. Br6.2 trillion is envisaged for rural housing construction.-0-