MINSK DISTRICT, 14 May (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko spent about an hour and a half on a tour of a farmers' market near Minsk on 14 May, BelTA has learned.
This farmers' market was created upon the president's instructions in order to allow Belarusian farmers to come to a convenient place to sell their goods. Now time has come for Aleksandr Lukashenko to take a look at how everything works and give the necessary additional instructions.
After discussing the relevant matters with officials and owners of the shopping center where the farmers' market is located Aleksandr Lukashenko went on a tour of the shopping stalls, took a close look at the product range on sale, talked up close and personal to the farmers and top managers of the companies that make and sell food. Those products include cheese made using ancient Belarusian recipes and the best European recipes, medicinal herbs, herbal teas, fresh green vegetables, pastry, sweets, honey, all kinds of home-made sausages and meat products, and many other goods.
The conversations focused on how private farms are developing, on the demand for the farmers' goods, on whether the farmers are satisfied with the conditions, and on what else needs to be done to encourage private initiatives in the countryside. One of the herbalists did not let Aleksandr Lukashenko go for a long time. He provided the head of state with several useful recipes and talked passionately about his business. Aleksandr Lukashenko also sampled new products of Agrokombinat Dzerzhinskiy.
Aleksandr Lukashenko also made some purchases, including herbs, meat products, and even ingredients for cooking pilaf according to the Central Asia recipes the president's counterparts had shared with him back in the day. The farmers also gifted some products to Aleksandr Lukashenko as a token of appreciation and invited him to visit their farms.
Aleksandr Lukashenko spent about an hour and a half walking about the farmers' market. It is worth noting that the shopping center operated as usual. Customers did not have to deal with security restrictions and could go on shopping without problems. Many were pleasantly surprised to see the head of state at a nearby counter.
