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01 July 2020, 19:57

Belarusian agriculture expected to achieve ambitious goals

MINSK, 1 July (BelTA) – The agribusiness will have to accomplish large-scale tasks concerning modernization and export expansion. Belarusian Agriculture and Food Minister Ivan Krupko made the statement during a ceremony held to award Minsk Oblast's top-performing agricultural enterprises for last year's accomplishments, the ministry's press service told BelTA.

According to the source, Minsk Oblast is traditionally one of the key agrarian regions of Belarus. Its agribusiness develops steadily year after year. Today when the agribusiness of the region and of the entire country faces large-scale tasks to strengthen the national food security, upgrade the technologies and infrastructure in use, increase the export potential, the organization of such events and contests is particularly advisable.

Ivan Krupko noted that in 2019 Minsk Oblast farmers demonstrated good performance despite complicated weather conditions. The region produced 1.9 million tonnes of grain (124% as against 2018), 158,000 tonnes of colza (144%), 8,300 tonnes of flax fiber (128%), nearly 2 million tonnes of sugar beet (106%), 1.5 million tonnes of potato (109%), and 471,000 tonnes of vegetables (106%). The farmers gathered in over 2 million tonnes of grass forage (108% as against 2018) or 28 centners per livestock unit. Despite the complicated epidemiological situation this year's sowing campaign was performed generally on the agrotechnical schedule. The continuity of production processes is maintained. Spring crops were sown on an area of 573,000 hectares or 101% as against 2019. The stock of mineral fertilizers exceeded last year's figure by 25%. It will definitely have an effect on the yield of the cultivated crops.

Ivan Krupko presented letters of thanks from the president and from the prime minister as well as certificates of merit from the Agriculture and Food Ministry to representatives of the top-performing agricultural enterprises.

During the ceremony the agriculture and food minister also summed up results of agriculture development in the last few decades. “Thanks to the large-scale modernization of the entire agribusiness in sovereign Belarus we make 2.3 times more milk than we did in 1995 (over 7 million tonnes in 2019). Our meat output has been virtually tripled (over 1.8 million tonnes in 2019). The domestic market is well-supplied with food (over 1,500 dairy product titles and over 1,000 meat product titles). We have an outstanding milk output per capita (786kg),” he noted. Belarusian agricultural products are exported to over 100 countries across the globe. Belarus is the world's third largest exporter of butter and whey powder, fourth largest exporter of cheese and cottage cheese, and fifth largest exporter of skimmed milk powder.

“Modern agriculture is unthinkable without cutting-edge technologies and scientific discoveries. Thanks to Belarusian R&D products the fleet of agricultural machines is being renewed, modern processing enterprises are being set up, high yields are being secured, and modern land utilization methods are being introduced,” the minister concluded.

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