Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 7 August (BelTA) – Preparations for the autumn sowing campaign should begin on time. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko gave the relevant instructions as he held a meeting with ministers and regional authorities on 7 August, BelTA has learned.

“One should not start working the land unless one is technologically prepared for sowing. Just don’t do it. Oblast governors and corresponding ministries will be held fully accountable for that. Stop squandering time and fooling your own selves. It is a crime to throw grain into unprepared soil, as peasants say. Get the soil ready and do the sowing within the optimal timeframe. If you see that you are falling behind the schedule, just do not do it at all,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

Addressing the governors, he noted that if agricultural enterprises fail to prepare some land for autumn sowing in time, this land can be given to companies that need grain. “However, this should be done now in order to give them time to prepare the soil, sow and harvest the grain,” the president noted.

The head of state also commented on the pace of the harvesting campaign. He urged to pick up the pace, though he noted that there are no big problems here so far. “I do not want to say that I am concerned about the harvesting pace. We will certainly harvest all the cereal crops. This is not an issue. Some seven million tonnes is not the target, as this time we are technically equipped like never before. We can easily harvest even ten million tonnes a month,” he noted.