MINSK, 29 November (BelTA) - Belarus intends to produce at least 10 million tonnes of grain and 6 million tonnes of potatoes per year by the end of its five-year plan, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Subbotin said at a joint meeting of the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic in the Oval Hall of the House of Government on 29 November, BelTA has learned.
Aleksandr Subbotin said that although Belarus ensures its food security, it has prospects of increasing the efficiency of its agricultural production. The draft state program Agrarian Business for 2021-2025 has been worked out to solve strategic tasks facing the country's agricultural industry.
“As part of the strategic objectives for the next five-year period the country defines economically feasible production volumes necessary to ensure food security and increase export potential. Plans are in place to increase grain production to 10 million tonnes, potatoes - 6 million tonnes, vegetables - almost 2 million tonnes, milk - 9.2 million tonnes, cattle and poultry - 2 million tonnes. Provided the target volumes of agricultural production are achieved and the price situation is favorable, exports of food products and agricultural raw materials are forecasted to grow to $7 billion. That is the milestone we have set ourselves as our goal to reach by 2025. We hope that we will reach it much earlier,” the deputy prime minister said.
The main objective of the Agrarian Business program is to ensure sustainable production of agricultural products, raw materials and food, sufficient to ensure the country's food security and increase the export potential of the agro-industrial complex, increase labor productivity and competitiveness of products. The program envisages production and sale of crop and livestock products, seed production, animal husbandry, plans to support small farms, technical and technological modernization of enterprises, development of melioration, implementation of direct measures of state support and preferential loans for current activities.
