MINSK, 8 October (BelTA) – It is necessary to analyze the situation with the reducing number of retail facilities in rural areas, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he spoke at the general meeting of the Belarusian National Union of Consumer Societies Belkoopsoyuz on 8 October, BelTA informs.
According to the head of state, the history of Belarusian consumer cooperatives started with trade when the association began to distribute products within the rationing system in accordance with established norms and prices. “Trade remains the core of your activity. This is the main branch for Belkoopsoyuz today, which accounts for almost 20% of the total trade turnover in rural areas. You provide services to people living in small villages, such villages where fewer than ten people are living. There are about 5,000 such villages in Belarus. For the elderly people living there your shops, sales vans, procurement facilities have become the centers of social and political life. You are the main ideologists and promoters for them,” the Belarusian leader said.
Therefore, Aleksandr Lukashenko gave an instruction to thoroughly analyze the situation with the reducing number of retail facilities, especially in rural areas. In accordance with the available data, in 2020 he number of shops reduced by almost 300 (or nearly 5%) from the number we had in 2019. The number of portable retail stores fell by 2%.
According to the head of state, at one of the recent meetings with the government where was the discussion whether the decision to enlarge and optimize such facilities as postal stations, banks and communications organizations in rural areas was right.
“I will reiterate that life does not stand still. New technologies are coming. The situation with the budget is not easy, we have to count and try to save every ruble. All countries are doing that. Therefore, it is important to make sure that all services are provided to rural and urban people in the same volume, and the quality of these services must be improving. What will you do with released workers of banks and postal stations? This is the direct responsibility of heads of district executive committees although they are not always willing to do that,” the president said.
