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The official said: “The digital transformation of manufacturing branches of the economy is a priority set by Belarus’ social and economic development program for 2016-2020. It stipulates digital transformation tasks with regard to agriculture. The number includes the improvement of information and communication technologies, transition to digital agriculture, assimilation of resource-saving precision farming technologies, introduction of resource management systems, geographical information systems, automated information systems and databases, the development of agency-specific information interaction systems, the implementation of the one-stop shop principle, the development and introduction of an industry-wide data network.”

Leonid Zayats pointed out that the development of agriculture has acquired a new meaning in informatization conditions. “Agribusiness has become a high-tech branch of the economy, focused on using the available resources rationally and effectively instead of emphasizing the volume of resources. Today’s agriculture relies on measuring all the processes in detail while high technologies are becoming the industry’s standard thanks to the universal adoption of analytical and informational systems,” he noted.

A national data network and other informatization projects are being implemented in Belarus. Communications and Informatization Minister Konstantin Shulgan added: “They can be used to implement any other projects, including industry-specific ones. Government agencies need to specify goals for programmers. I think we can resolve any issue together because there are no technical limitations. The effectiveness of the project will depend on correct specifications. New technologies may be handy but people need to decide which ones should be used in agriculture in order to produce benefits.”

The international science and practice conference on the experience and prospects of precision farming technologies took place in the Applied Science Center for Agriculture Mechanization of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and the Agricultural Complex Zhdanovichi on 23 August. The development, assimilation, and prospects of using precision arable farming technologies in agribusiness were on the agenda.