Business news

21 Jul 2023

Lukashenko identifies key problems plaguing Belarusian agriculture year after year

MINSK, 21 July (BelTA) – The situation in the fields and in agricultural enterprises is far from ideal. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko mentioned it during a conference call held on 21 July to discuss the harvesting campaign, BelTA has learned.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “Let’s get back to our fields. The State Control Committee, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Internal Affairs Ministry tell me that the situation is far from normal, let alone ideal.”

Low readiness of machines and vehicles as the key complaint

The main complaints from the oversight agencies are the low readiness of grain-harvesting vehicles and machines, grain elevators, storage facilities, and problems with machine operators. According to the head of state, harvesters are not ready for work practically in every other agricultural enterprise that has been examined. “But I’d like to know whether all of them are not ready or one out of ten is not ready,” he said.

Individual agricultural enterprises have not even started repairs. “Maybe they don’t have to repair. Who knows? Maybe they did repairs in winter and autumn. Maybe the vehicles and machines are in good shape. I’d like objective information about that,” the president demanded.

“Then again overreporting has always plagued agricultural enterprises. The prosecution service has found 185 cases across the country when machines were ready for work only on paper. This must never be forgiven! These inept executives will lead us to the devil knows where. 33 grain-drying complexes were not ready either,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.

Most of the outrageous facts were found in Minsk Oblast (77), Grodno Oblast (52), and Vitebsk Oblast (42). “I don’t know what purpose this eyewash serves. And who are you trying to deceive? Instead of asking for help you are trying to hide the problem. As a result, we will have unharvested crops and losses for the entire state,” the Belarusian leader stressed.

The head of state mentioned the failure to pass vehicle inspection checks as another systemic problem. By the beginning of the harvesting campaign 63% of the harvesters in Gomel Oblast, 59% in Vitebsk Oblast, and 36% in Mogilev Oblast had not passed vehicle inspection checks. It is not surprising that the workload for one functional harvester rises from 273 hectares to over 500 hectares, the president said. In some agricultural enterprises it goes all the way to 900 hectares (for instance, in Borisov District).

“What quality harvesting can we talk about then? And where is our good organization? A year ago an instruction was given to buy about 600 new grain harvesters for all the regions. Moreover, an optimal scheme to buy them was worked out and approved. The decision has been made and all the oblast governors get offended: as of 17 July the farmers received only 425 units of equipment. Listen, why do we have to give you new machines if you don’t repair those you have? What kind of approaches are these? And after all, the prime minister and the government have to determine to whom we can give these machines and to whom we can’t. Because it is some kind of a gift from the state. If you spend your own money to buy them, go ahead. But you ask for machines today and you come for money tomorrow. Meanwhile, unrepaired vehicles and machines stay idle. Deal with it, Roman Aleksandrovich [Golovchenko, Prime Minister of Belarus] and deal with it harshly. It is time to move from idle talk and mantras to concrete measures,” Aleksandr Lukashenko told the government.

Careless attitude to the harvest

The president remarked that the harvesting campaign has just started while the State Control Committee has already come across low-quality harvesting work and a contemptuous attitude to harvest preservation. “It is inadmissible!” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

Violations have been found in individual agricultural enterprises in Baranovichi District, Pinsk District, Borisov District, Dobrush District, Petrikov District, and Korma District. “Deal with the heads of these districts,” the head of state gave the instruction.

“There are problems with forage harvesting. The reasons are the same: broken machines, violations of operating procedures and labor discipline,” Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out.

As of 10 July 14 agricultural enterprises in Glubokoye District, Orsha District, and Lepel District in Vitebsk Oblast had not finished the first cutting of perennial grasses. “Why did the agriculture minister, who is responsible for this sphere, fail to notice that?” the president wondered.

The volume of grass forage harvesting in Vitebsk Oblast is the country’s lowest. Some agricultural enterprises have failed to gather in half of what they are supposed to harvest. “We proceed with cereals harvesting along with the second cutting of perennial grasses, with the sowing of interplanted crops, and flax harvesting. If you lose a week today, you will never catch up,” the head of state stressed.

Thievery and alcohol abuse as the most disgusting thing

“Well, and the most disgusting thing is thievery and alcohol abuse. Harvesting has just started while the Internal Affairs Ministry has already opened 61 criminal cases into the theft of fuel and lubricants and has detected nearly 2,200 administrative offenses. Heads of agricultural enterprises and district administrations and even oblast administrations already have these spells: don’t worry, harvesting has started, and we call everyone to account. There can be no leniency,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.

Police has seized 30 tonnes of stolen fuel, 40 tonnes of cereals, 17 tonnes of combined feed, nearly 5 tonnes of fertilizers. A survey revealed 831 workers in state of intoxication. “Sober them up so much they wouldn’t want to drink again,” the president stressed.

“We cannot defeat the same problems year after year. And where are the top officials of the oblast administrations, district administrations, and agricultural enterprises? During the harvesting period your office is in the field, at a grain storage facility,” the head of state said.



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