Events

Lukashenko threatens to fire government, oblast governors for failing to fit out cattle farms

SOLIGORSK, 22 September (BelTA) – By the end of the year it is necessary to equip farms and ensure an increase in the milking herd. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko gave the relevant instruction during the nationwide seminar-conference on the development of the cattle breeding industry on 22 September, BelTA has learned.

According to the State Control Committee, nearly 16,000 cattle stalls are underequipped. The president instructed the agriculture and food minister, the government, and the oblast governors to equip farms and ensure an increase in the milking herd by the end of the year. He said he would hold them personally responsible for it. Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that cattle with high productivity should be kept in these stalls. The farms should not be equipped only for the sake of appearances.

Aleksandr Lukashenko warned: “If you don’t do it, if you don’t equip these complexes, I promise to you that I will ‘unequip’ all of you. I have enough resolve for it. I am not going to play nice with you. I have never done that regardless of whatever election [campaigns] we may face. Because we may bury the country otherwise. We may fall so far that instead of exporting $8 billion [worth of food] we may have nothing to feed the nation with.”

“I repeat once again: we’ve built a lot of dairy complexes. 16,000 head of cattle have yet to be furnished! You don’t have much time to fit out these complexes and place cattle there,” the president added.

The head of state wants a businesslike approach to the matter. For instance, an agricultural enterprise in one oblast has too much cattle and it cannot handle the workload. The excessive cattle can be transferred to a good agricultural enterprise with spare capacity in another oblast. It is an unpopular decision but it will help preserve at least cattle productivity and may even preserve cattle life. “Transfer the cattle and feed it there. Surely there will be plenty of feed over there,” he said.

“I am warning you for the last time. Make decisions and act. Where are heads of district administrations? We will review their performance in no-nonsense terms. We cannot see the heads of district administrations behind the heads of oblast administrations at all,” the president noted.

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