Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 3 April (BelTA) – Alongside with its economic significance, agriculture is of high political importance, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said at the national seminar held on 3 April to discuss rural development and ways to enhance the efficiency of the country’s agrarian sector, BelTA has learned.

“Agricultural production has long gone beyond its consideration exclusively as part of the economy. Food is a policy, both internal and external. Therefore, the focus on a developed agrarian sector as one of the priorities of the country's development was the right decision at the beginning of our independence. No one will argue this today. The situation in the agro-industrial complex widely affects the welfare and the social and political stability in the country,” the head of state said.

According to Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus ensures its food security in full, which is the most important factor of independence.

“If we did not have food and clothes - the most necessary things for people, just imagine what independence we would have and where we would be today,” the head of state said.

According to the president, today Belarus surpasses other CIS countries in per capita production and consumption of most types of agricultural products. The foreign currency proceeds from the sale of domestic food products amounted to about $5 billion in 2017. “However, the goal to achieve $7 billion in sales is still to be reached,” the Belarusian leader noted.

Last year Belarus had a good harvest of grain, colza, and sugar beet. A good raw material base was formed. In 2017, in general, the country made growth in the main agrarian production and export indicators. “Today, however, we are not expected to talk over the successes of the agrarians. We will talk about the existing problems, the solution of which will help us make greater progress,” the Belarusian leader said.

Alexander Lukashenko added that the nationwide seminar is a logical continuation of the practice of systematic and objective analysis of the performance of specific sectors of the economy in order to improve their efficiency in modern conditions and increase their contribution to the aggregate national income.