MINSK, 13 March (BelTA) – Belarus and Russia intend to develop automated and robotized technological processes and equipment to manufacture dairy products, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry following a joint meeting of the boards of the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry and the Russian Ministry of Agriculture.
“Concepts of joint programs have been designed and are undergoing harmonization. They provide for using digital technologies to develop automated and robotized technological processes and equipment for production of milk and dairy products as well as resource-saving and eco-friendly smart computer technologies and complexes of robotized appliances for effective manufacturing of products of gardening and nursery. These areas deserve special attention as they are aimed at improving competitiveness of end products,” the press service noted.
Belarus and Russia work together on new solutions and introduce new agricultural technologies. From 2001 to 2016 the Union State of Belarus and Russia implemented the programs Milk, Horticulture, Animal Feed, Waste, Potatoes and Jerusalem Artichoke. Thanks to the implementation of joint scientific and research projects in agribusiness, the countries developed test kits for diagnosis of Hepatitis E and several enzyme products. The technology for rapid creation and successful rejuvenation of selectively bred cattle herds that was developed by Grodno State Agrarian University and is used in the selection and genetics center Betagran Lipetsk (Russia's Lipetsk Oblast).
The countries also intensify cooperation in science and education. Higher education institutions under the Belarusian Agriculture and Food Ministry cooperate with more than 60 Russian universities and scientific facilities in compiling and publishing scientific and academic literature, organizing internships for teaching staff.
Cooperation in state crop variety testing, and seed breeding are also deemed as promising areas of cooperation. At present, the Belarusian national register of varieties include 808 varieties developed by the two countries together and Russia alone. Moreover, in 2019 scientific institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus exported more than 300 tonnes of breeders' and elite seeds of crops of Belarusian varieties. Work is underway to cultivate demonstration fields of potatoes in Russia's Astrakhan Oblast, of spring rapeseed and medick in Russia's Tatarstan.
Taking into account Russia's expertise and best practices, Belarus is eager to cooperate in plant and seed breeding of vegetable crops for sheltered ground (winter greenhouses), vegetables of the early maturity group, and rare vegetable crops: cabbage family (kohlrabi, napa cabbage, Brussels sprout) and herbs.
