On the eve of the regional "Dazhynki-2024" festival, the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Committee for Agriculture and Food, Andrey Bulavkin, answered questions
"Good performance due to correct decisions"
To obtain a decent harvest from the land, one must not only treat it with attention and care, strictly adhere to technical regulations in work, but also make the right strategic decisions in a timely manner. The latter factor became decisive for the agricultural workers of the Vitebsk region in this agricultural season, allowing them to significantly improve their positions in a number of important areas. We discussed this and plans for the future year on the eve of the regional festival-fair of agricultural workers "Dozhinki-2024" with the Chairman of the Committee for Agriculture and Food of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Andrey Bulavkin.
— Andrey Anatolyevich, in this agricultural season, we managed to harvest 900 thousand tons of cereals, legumes, groats, rapeseed, and corn. The latter was particularly pleasing...
— Indeed, we received a record harvest of this crop for the Vitebsk region, both in terms of gross yield, which amounted to about 150 thousand tons, and in terms of yield per hectare. It reached almost 90 centners per hectare. With such results, we rose to second place in the overall ranking of regions in the country, which is, of course, pleasing. We managed to perform well due to correct decisions. In particular, this year we increased the area under this crop to fully provide the livestock industry with feed.
— And you didn't lose out! How do you plan to continue working with this crop?
— Even in our northern region, which is considered a zone of risky farming, corn has begun to ripen. And we are managing to get a decent harvest. This means we need to move in this direction. In stages, by 2030, we intend to increase its area to 150 thousand hectares. Currently, it is 114 thousand hectares.
— We also managed to collect the maximum amount of forage crops this year. What volume are we approaching the inter-season with?
— According to operational data, 1.2 million tons of feed units have been harvested – 32 centners per conventional head of cattle. This volume exceeds the annual requirement, so it will be enough to fully provide the livestock industry with feed for the entire winter.u. I should note: over the past ten years, the Vitebsk region has never harvested so much fodder. The result was achieved through a comprehensive approach. We worked on providing mineral fertilizers and preparing fodder harvesting equipment for the harvesting season. From the first mowing, we increased the harvesting of green fodder in stretch film. In addition, we significantly renewed perennial grasses. Including sowing 15 thousand hectares of alfalfa, but this will largely be a reserve for next year. In the near future, we set ourselves the goal of harvesting a year and a half's worth of green fodder to completely solve the region's fodder supply problem for the off-season.
— Innovations in the agricultural sector are increasingly being discussed. What advanced technologies are being used in the farms of the Vitebsk region?
— Individual agricultural enterprises in the Orsha and Senno districts have begun to test the Strip-till technology. This is a type of non-plowing soil cultivation with minimal impact on the soil, which allows for a yield increase of up to 15 percent, and also provides savings in fuel and lubricants. We saw its effectiveness this year on the example of rapeseed and grain crops. The educational and practical center for precision farming at the agricultural production cooperative "MazolovoGaz" in the Vitebsk district is operating quite successfully. All this once again confirms the importance of introducing technical innovations into agricultural activities to achieve better results. And as far as possible, our organizations are moving along this path.
— What innovations in general do you consider important to implement in the near future?
— What tasks do you set for the region's agrarians for the next year?
— First of all, we aim to achieve a more substantial harvest. We set the task for our agricultural organizations to increase gross production volumes by 5.4 percent, including producing 1.1 million tons of grain, 80 thousand tons of rapeseed, 820 thousand tons of milk, 448 million eggs, and 254 thousand tons of cattle and poultry production. We intend to achieve this by adhering to technological regulations for product production. In the crop production sector, it is planned to optimize the structure of sown areas aimed at providing public animal husbandry with grain feed, forage crops, and vegetable protein, and the processing industry with raw materials.
— In the Vitebsk region and throughout the country, many diverse measures are being taken to enhance the prestige of agricultural professions. To what extent has the northern region managed to stop the outflow of personnel, and what measures can help improve the situation in this regard?
— In 2024, the retention of young specialists after the legally established period of work in the region exceeded 50 percent. Therefore, we consider it necessary to continue working individually with each potential future applicant. Fortunately, our region has the largest number of functioning agro-classes in the republic. In the 2024/2025 academic year, there were 156 such classes, with 1242 students. This is our reserve, with which we need to work closely! After all, the future of the industry and the food security of the country as a whole depend on increasing the prestige of agricultural specialties.
— Andrey Anatolyevich, in this agricultural season, we managed to harvest 900 thousand tons of cereals, legumes, groats, rapeseed, and corn. The latter was particularly pleasing...
— Indeed, we received a record harvest of this crop for the Vitebsk region, both in terms of gross yield, which amounted to about 150 thousand tons, and in terms of yield per hectare. It reached almost 90 centners per hectare. With such results, we rose to second place in the overall ranking of regions in the country, which is, of course, pleasing. We managed to perform well due to correct decisions. In particular, this year we increased the area under this crop to fully provide the livestock industry with feed.
— And you didn't lose out! How do you plan to continue working with this crop?
— Even in our northern region, which is considered a zone of risky farming, corn has begun to ripen. And we are managing to get a decent harvest. This means we need to move in this direction. In stages, by 2030, we intend to increase its area to 150 thousand hectares. Currently, it is 114 thousand hectares.
— We also managed to collect the maximum amount of forage crops this year. What volume are we approaching the inter-season with?
— According to operational data, 1.2 million tons of feed units have been harvested – 32 centners per conventional head of cattle. This volume exceeds the annual requirement, so it will be enough to fully provide the livestock industry with feed for the entire winter.u. I should note: over the past ten years, the Vitebsk region has never harvested so much fodder. The result was achieved through a comprehensive approach. We worked on providing mineral fertilizers and preparing fodder harvesting equipment for the harvesting season. From the first mowing, we increased the harvesting of green fodder in stretch film. In addition, we significantly renewed perennial grasses. Including sowing 15 thousand hectares of alfalfa, but this will largely be a reserve for next year. In the near future, we set ourselves the goal of harvesting a year and a half's worth of green fodder to completely solve the region's fodder supply problem for the off-season.
— Innovations in the agricultural sector are increasingly being discussed. What advanced technologies are being used in the farms of the Vitebsk region?
— Individual agricultural enterprises in the Orsha and Senno districts have begun to test the Strip-till technology. This is a type of non-plowing soil cultivation with minimal impact on the soil, which allows for a yield increase of up to 15 percent, and also provides savings in fuel and lubricants. We saw its effectiveness this year on the example of rapeseed and grain crops. The educational and practical center for precision farming at the agricultural production cooperative "MazolovoGaz" in the Vitebsk district is operating quite successfully. All this once again confirms the importance of introducing technical innovations into agricultural activities to achieve better results. And as far as possible, our organizations are moving along this path.
— What innovations in general do you consider important to implement in the near future?
— As part of the Head of State's directive to restore the functions of district agro-services, we have decided to create five large mechanized detachments to assist agricultural enterprises in carrying out field work. The largest will operate on the basis of Vitebsk Oblagorservice, and four more will operate on the basis of Dubroven, Orsha, Verkhnedvinsk, and Glubokoye Rayagorservice. The functions of such a powerful technical "fist" will be to provide year-round support for various types of work in different districts of the region.te>— In the winter period, this involves the removal of organic matter, in the spring — the application of organic fertilizers and sowing, in the summer — fodder harvesting. This approach will allow us to maintain technically weak regions at a high organizational level. Small mechanized detachments have worked with us before, but they are not enough. We will be able to give the first assessment of such a solution in the spring, when they prove themselves in practice.
— What tasks do you set for the region's agrarians for the next year?
— First of all, we aim to achieve a more substantial harvest. We set the task for our agricultural organizations to increase gross production volumes by 5.4 percent, including producing 1.1 million tons of grain, 80 thousand tons of rapeseed, 820 thousand tons of milk, 448 million eggs, and 254 thousand tons of cattle and poultry production. We intend to achieve this by adhering to technological regulations for product production. In the crop production sector, it is planned to optimize the structure of sown areas aimed at providing public animal husbandry with grain feed, forage crops, and vegetable protein, and the processing industry with raw materials.
— In the Vitebsk region and throughout the country, many diverse measures are being taken to enhance the prestige of agricultural professions. To what extent has the northern region managed to stop the outflow of personnel, and what measures can help improve the situation in this regard?
— In 2024, the retention of young specialists after the legally established period of work in the region exceeded 50 percent. Therefore, we consider it necessary to continue working individually with each potential future applicant. Fortunately, our region has the largest number of functioning agro-classes in the republic. In the 2024/2025 academic year, there were 156 such classes, with 1242 students. This is our reserve, with which we need to work closely! After all, the future of the industry and the food security of the country as a whole depend on increasing the prestige of agricultural specialties.
CONGRATULATIONS
Dear rural workers, esteemed agrarians! I sincerely congratulate you on the mainHappy holiday to all agricultural workers of the Vitebsk region, "Dazhynki", which marks the end of another intense agricultural season! Every day was filled with your selfless work, sincere care for the harvest. Therefore, with pride on this momentous day, I want to recall the words of the Head of State: you are the breadwinners of our country, its support and hope. Your work is not just a profession, it is a way of life, a love for the land, its fruits, for your native country. Such an attitude is worthy of the deepest respect, and your labor deserves recognition. May your hands always be strong, and your hearts full of hope. I wish you good health, family well-being, abundant harvests, and prosperity!
"SB. Belarus Today"