A meeting on the development of the region's agro-industrial complex was held in Vitebsk with the participation of Alexander Lukashenko
It was proposed to create a super-large holding in the region, but the head of state demanded to "start from the ground up" and competently develop existing integration structures, BELTA reports. BELTA.
Alexander Lukashenko expects the meeting on the development of the agro-industrial complex of the Vitebsk region to be historic in terms of its consequences.
"Perhaps not immediately today, let it be a great beginning, but we must make a decision on the further not just development of the Vitebsk region, but on its prosperous existence. Mistakes are unacceptable. The time for experiments is over," the Belarusian leader emphasized.
To solve the problems in the agro-industrial complex of the Vitebsk region, it is proposed to create a super-large holding in the region. The corresponding draft decree is being discussed today.
"I have familiarized myself with the draft decree. The main provisions provide for a radical restructuring of the entire management system of the agro-industrial complex of the Vitebsk region, and the proposed super-large holding will occupy two-thirds of its territory," said the head of state.
The President noted that several integration structures in the agro-industrial complex in the form of holdings are already operating in the region, but most of them do not show the expected results. "If you have had a negative experience with four out of five holdings, do you want to create another giant super-holding? How should I understand you then? - Alexander Lukashenko outlined the problem. - I have to sign the decree and bear responsibility for it. This is a huge expense."
At the same time, according to the project, the region is counting on colossal state support. "And I was told: no, no support is needed... Therefore, to make final decisions today, we need to discuss all existing issues in detail and specifically," the head of state noted.
He warned the meeting participants that no one should try to sit it out, and everyone should bear personal responsibility. "You are not gathered here to remain silent: I'll say something, and tomorrow I'll be fired... No one will be fired if you work normally. And if someone dares to do so, he himself will be expelled from this region," said Alexander Lukashenko.
The President stated that a modest positive trend can be noted as a separate indicator of the region's agro-industrial complex performance. However, the results of a comprehensive analysis of the situation show the presence of serious problems. "The heads of other regions should not rest on their laurels. We have a similar situation in all eastern regions. Both in Mogilev and Gomel. They will also have to take extraordinary measures. After the replacement of the heads of the regions, they seem to have started to move. But this is not enough. Technological and organizational measures must be taken to cope with the problems that exist there," the head of state noted.
In the development of the agricultural sector of the Vitebsk region, there are problems such as a decrease in production volume, a reduction in livestock population and its low productivity, the financial condition of agricultural organizations remains unsatisfactory, and the number of employees is decreasing. This affects processing industry enterprises: the utilization of production capacities is decreasing. As a result, employment issues arise, and the region's export potential decreases.
The Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Nikolai Sherstnev, reported on the key problems affecting the decline in the dynamics of the region's agricultural sector.
"A dependent situation has developed: agricultural organizations, due to existing problems, cannot maintain production volumes, let alone increase them, and processing enterprises, as a result, receive insufficient raw materials," said Nikolai Sherstnev. The efficiency of their own production is decreasing, the opportunity for timely modernization of processing technologies is lost, and competitiveness in the market is declining.
All this, along with the outdated material and technical base, ultimately leads to a decrease in the rural workforce. "In the Vitebsk region, the material base of dairy farms, which were built in the 1970s-1980s, is the most outdated. Consequently, there is no efficiency, no wages. Because of this, working in the countryside has become unpromising," he stated.
Nikolai Sherstnev emphasized that the utilization of modernized processing enterprises is 50-60%. Meanwhile, they are the locomotive that pulls the lagging agricultural enterprises. "In some farms, the wage fund as a percentage of revenue is 50-70%," added the chairman of the regional executive committee.
Consolidating debts, centralizing procurement, and unifying exports are, according to Nikolai Sherstnev, the goals of reforming the industry. Currently, four holdings operate in the region: Vitebsk, Glubokskoye, Orshanskoye, and Polotsk integration structures, headed by large processing enterprises, and including farms that form the raw material zone. Another, effectively the fifth, is the Vitebsk Broiler Poultry Farm, which has united 25 thousand hectares of land and 12 agricultural enterprises of the Vitebsk district within its structure.
"The management company of the agroholding will deal with debts, exports, and procurement. Only specialists who will perform this work will remain there, eliminating duplication of functions," he stressed. Unification into a single legal entity will allow for the concentration of intra-regional debt obligations of farms and technical capabilities, which in turn will stabilize the enterprises' activities and give them the opportunity to develop, explained Nikolai Sherstnev.