MINSK, 24 July (BelTA) – It is critically need to conduct the harvest campaign at maximum speed, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during a working trip to Smolevichi District, Minsk Oblast to monitor field operations, BelTA learned.
"We must accelerate, whatever it takes," the president emphasized. "We absolutely cannot waste this year. The harvest will be good if we manage to gather it without losses, as much as possible."
The president is inspecting a winter barley field in Ozeritsky-Agro in Smolevichi District. Aleksandr Lukashenko explained why he chose this particular location and farm in Minsk Oblast. The president wants to get a general picture of the harvest progress, and this location represents average conditions, both in terms of this farm and Minsk Oblast as a whole. If the situation here is good, then the national average will likely be good too: slightly worse in the northern Vitebsk Oblast, and slightly better in the southern and western areas.
“I thought you would have more by now,” the president said addressing Agriculture and Food Minister Yuri Gorlov. “Will you make it two million by the end of the week?”
“We will try,” the minister replied.
Along with grain crops, the country is harvesting rapeseed. Aleksandr Lukashenko was interested in the specifics of this season’s harvest. As experts noted, each case requires individual assessment to determine the optimal harvest timing. The head of state inquired about this crop’s performance at Ozeritsky-Agro. The head of the enterprise, Anzhelika Gushchenya, said: “Rapeseed is good. The most important thing is to stick to technology. We used fertilizers, treated the crops, and applied fungicides twice. Therefore, the rapeseed is excellent.”
The president noted that he would like to personally see the rapeseed harvest later.
The Ozeritsky-Agro enterprise cultivates potatoes, including seed varieties available for purchase by both private gardeners and commercial farmers. “This is right. Producers should make their products available to all interested buyers,” the head of state remarked.
Aleksandr Lukashenko expressed keen interest in the farm’s operations and financial performance, while highlighting the particular responsibility of Anzhelika Gushchenya, who has led the farm for just six months. “I reviewed your entire background last evening – you have experience in various fields. This is valuable. If she succeeds here, she shows tremendous promise. She also knows banking. Starting out as a milkmaid gives her crucial grassroots experience,” he remarked.
Anzhelika Gushchenya reported strong financial performance at the enterprise, noting self-funded development and the recent completion of a new grain drying complex.
"We must accelerate, whatever it takes," the president emphasized. "We absolutely cannot waste this year. The harvest will be good if we manage to gather it without losses, as much as possible."
The president is inspecting a winter barley field in Ozeritsky-Agro in Smolevichi District. Aleksandr Lukashenko explained why he chose this particular location and farm in Minsk Oblast. The president wants to get a general picture of the harvest progress, and this location represents average conditions, both in terms of this farm and Minsk Oblast as a whole. If the situation here is good, then the national average will likely be good too: slightly worse in the northern Vitebsk Oblast, and slightly better in the southern and western areas.
“This is a good indicator. Seeing how things are here we will understand how our combine harvesters work, that things are lacking,” the head of state said.
He noted that the harvesting campaign in the country is uneven as things depend on the weather. Therefore, Aleksandr Lukashenko urges against drying grain in the fields as delaying the harvesting will lead to grain losses. “We need to harvest as fast as possible,” Aleksandr Lukashenko added.
The field that the head of state came to inspect has yielded 70 centners of winter barley per hectare. This crop has good yields across the country (over 40 centners per hectare) despite difficult weather conditions. Harvesting of this crop is nearing completion. The winter barley harvest is expected in the amount of almost 1 million tonnes
"If it is over 40 centners per hectare, it is a good harvest in the country," Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “But we need to strive for Ozeritsky-Agro’s yields.” In addition, the president drew attention to the need for good domestic varieties, and this issue should be addressed in a serious manner.
"In a word, we will continue to cultivate barley. This is a good crop,” the head of state added. “The fact that we began to cultivate more barley was the right thing to do. After 3-4 years we see that we have done the right thing. Early harvest time… Today, this is a big part of our harvest campaign, not just a warm-up for harvesters.”
According to him, the same is true about winter rapeseed crop. Both crops are profitable to cultivate; this is money for agricultural enterprises. If everything is done technologically, then good harvests are guaranteed.
The head of state was informed about the progress of the harvesting campaign in Belarus and Minsk Oblast. The region is showing the average national pace in harvesting. The yield is currently 41.4 centners per hectare. This is 7.3 centners per hectare more over last year, despite difficult weather conditions. Recently, farmers reported on harvesting the first million tonnes of grain. As of the morning of 24 July the harvest was about 1.1 million tonnes.
“We will try,” the minister replied.
Along with grain crops, the country is harvesting rapeseed. Aleksandr Lukashenko was interested in the specifics of this season’s harvest. As experts noted, each case requires individual assessment to determine the optimal harvest timing. The head of state inquired about this crop’s performance at Ozeritsky-Agro. The head of the enterprise, Anzhelika Gushchenya, said: “Rapeseed is good. The most important thing is to stick to technology. We used fertilizers, treated the crops, and applied fungicides twice. Therefore, the rapeseed is excellent.”
The president noted that he would like to personally see the rapeseed harvest later.
The Ozeritsky-Agro enterprise cultivates potatoes, including seed varieties available for purchase by both private gardeners and commercial farmers. “This is right. Producers should make their products available to all interested buyers,” the head of state remarked.
Aleksandr Lukashenko expressed keen interest in the farm’s operations and financial performance, while highlighting the particular responsibility of Anzhelika Gushchenya, who has led the farm for just six months. “I reviewed your entire background last evening – you have experience in various fields. This is valuable. If she succeeds here, she shows tremendous promise. She also knows banking. Starting out as a milkmaid gives her crucial grassroots experience,” he remarked.
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