News & Events in Belarus

Grain harvest, large-scale cattle breeding in focus of president’s visit to Agrokombinat Yubileiny

ORSHA DISTRICT, 11 August (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko got familiar with the progress in the harvest campaign and development prospects as he visited OAO Agrokombinat Yubileiny in Orsha District on 11 August, BelTA has learned.

"Слушай, это ж дворец", - оценил результаты Президент.

“We are harvesting wheat today. Unfortunately, the weather is a little bit unfavorable,” Aleksandr Firsin, director of OAO Agrokombinat Yubileiny, reported to the president. “The weather is perfect,” the head of state objected.

“We are not complaining. We have harvested 55% [of the area]. Average yields are reaching 58.6 centners per hectare. Wheat yields are 72-75 centers per hectare today. Winter barley has already been harvested, with yields at 48 centners per hectare. Spring barley is also somewhere at 48-50 centners per hectare. Triticale is about 60 centners per hectare. I think we will get some 38,000 tonnes of grain this year,” the director said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko asked whether it would be enough for the livestock. “I am already thinking about how to sell some,” Aleksandr Firsin said.

They also discussed issues related to rapeseed processing. “Do you process it yourself or give it away?” the president asked. “I give it away,” the director replied. “Is it profitable for you to sell it?” the head of state clarified. “Yes, it is. It is profitable to sell and not engage in processing. The state procurement order is 1,000 tonnes. We have already fulfilled it. The rest will be stored for fodder,” Aleksandr Firsin said.

In his words, the farm has 5,000-head cattle. Milk yields are constantly growing: “I think this year we will reach the milk yield of 10,000kg per cow. We will sell some 40,000 tonnes of milk this year.”

The fodder harvest in the farm is also excellent this year. "We would have started harvesting grain even faster. But we had to harvest seeds hay. They matured just in time," the head of the farm said.

Fodders are prepared for storage according to the technology, but sometimes the farm has to put the surpluses into silage clamps.
"It's better to build trenches after all," Aleksandr Lukashenko suggested. "We are building trenches. This year, frankly speaking, I did not expect such harvests. We are doing the third cut of alfalfa. I think there will be a fourth one," Aleksandr Firsin explained.

Returning to the topic of cattle breeding, the participants discussed the development of modern dairy complexes, reproduction of livestock. Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that efficiency and the final financial result are at the heart of everything.

"We will raise heifers for reproduction. We expect to have about 2,300 heifers here. I think we can sell 600 heifers a year," the director told about specific plans.

Aleksandr Lukashenko asked whether Yubileiny is not afraid venturing into large-scale cattle farming with a large number of heads. First of all, the question is about sanitary conditions and the risk of disease spread, which could inevitably lead to losses.

But Aleksandr Firsin assured that everything is strict in this matter: "Everything is fenced off. There is a strict sanitary pass. Clothes are washed three times. We have our own laundry.” So the secret, as the president says, is in technology and discipline.

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