Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 9 February (BelTA) – Belarus cherishes a beautiful tradition to celebrate harvest festivals, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at the ceremony held on 9 February to award the best workers of the agricultural industry, BelTA has learned.

“For many years we have been summing up the results of farmers’ work at the Dazhynki harvest festival. The format of this event has changed, but it is still very important and pragmatic. We used to award the best farmers. Since ancient times they have been the main breadwinners for the nation. Therefore, they have been the only heroes of such events until today. And we will cherish this beautiful tradition to celebrate harvest festivals in the future,” the president said. “Now it is time to expand the range of participants and hold more large-scale events to sum up the results of work in the agricultural industry. February was chosen for a reason. The performance of the industry is already known by this time. And it is also necessary to prepare for the spring sowing campaign.”

Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that only farmers know the true value of this work. Despite farmers are now actively using cutting-edge industrial and scientific achievements of the civilization, their work remains very difficult and responsible. “There are no holidays and days off during the harvest campaign. Farmers give all their power and energy to the soil. The energy and power cannot be measured by the length of the day or fatigue. Work on the soil is a real test for everybody. It requires a lot of attention, the soil will give more to those who are taking care of it,” he remarked.

“A person who grew up in the country, in the surroundings of fields, forests and lakes, knows that nature always fills people with power and energy. And it does not mean where they live as adults because they carry this connection through the entire life. The Homeland stays in people’s hearts forever,” the head of state added.