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Lukashenko: My dream of having harvester production in Belarus came true
MINSK, 25 August (BelTA) - My dream of the domestic harvest production has come true, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he visited the Ostroshitsy farm in Logoisk District on 25 August, BelTA has learned.
The head of state was briefed on the state and prospects of the grain harvester industry in the country. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the head of state’s historic decision to develop harvester manufacturing industry in the country.
“The event is somewhat symbolic. Yet, it celebrates a very important stage in the development of our state. Not even the agricultural sector, but an entire state. We remember very well the time when people had nothing to eat, and people had to be fed. How could we do without bread? We had some harvest in the fields, but we had no machines to crop it with. It was then when these important decisions for the sector were made,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.
“I dreamed about Belarusian-made grain harvesters, and my dream has come true. We can manufacture anything, especially now,” the Belarusian leader stressed.
The head of state was shown farm machines, including the first harvester - KZR-10 Polesye-Rotor. “It is time we took it out of service and make it a monument. It looks great. You can never tell that it is the oldest one,” the head of state said.
The president paused for a while near the first harvester, recalling how it all began: “A quarter of a century has passed. I was thinking then that we needed something to crop the harvest with. This is not the main thing however. The main thing is that we started to make our own harvesters.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko said that the combine harvester turned out to be of good quality and budget-friendly, which was especially important for farms in those years: “We had no losses. For me it was the most important thing that the combine harvester worked and harvested the grain. After all, it was even no worse than the German combine harvesters of those times. I used to drive them and saw that they [Belarusian harvesters] were no worse. Therefore, we made such a decision. I knew we were going to learn how to do that.”
"We can manufacture everything, especially now. The world is interdependent. Even if you do not know how to do today, you will learn tomorrow,” the Belarusian leader emphasized. “I dreamed of having harvesters produced in Belarus and this dream came true."
The president believes that the main thing is not to be afraid and never think that something may not work out, especially in matters of import substitution. A vivid example is the production of domestic grain harvesters, most of which are exported. “When we were making the decision, the situation was very bad. We made this decision and we succeeded. I can compare it to a feat,” the head of state noted. “Gomselmash has changed for the best. So have people. We have grown much more professional. Today we supply our machines all over the world. We have also come a long way in the defense industry. But the production of farm machines is not any easier."
Earlier this month Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko was made familiar with the operation a new self-propelled grain harvester GH810 (KZS-3321) during his working trip to Rogachev District. This time the president was shown a harvester with an automatic driving system, an intelligent vision technology: cameras and modern automation allow a driver to focus solely on thr quality of harvesting.
“We have achieved a lot in a relatively short period, 25 years of domestic grain harvester production,” Sergei Fedorovich, chief designer of the harvester engineering division at the Belarusian agricultural machinery company Gomselmash, told the media.
To date, the plant makes 11 models of harvesters in 75 modifications. Another seven new models will soon enter production. "We have come a long way," he stressed. "Of course, the decision to set up the domestic harvester production was a landmark one."
As for the prospects, Gomselmash will soon roll out even more advanced models. "Basically, we work for export. We will make models for foreign markets," Sergei Fedorovich said.
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