MOZYR DISTRICT, 24 April (BelTA) – In Belarus the network of agricultural service enterprises needs to be developed at a faster pace in order to make sure that such organizations exist in every district. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement at a seminar-conference on agricultural services, the organization of repair and restoration of agricultural machines and vehicles, BelTA has learned.
The head of state recalled that during Soviet times it was exactly the case – agricultural machinery service enterprises existed in every district. They concentrated work to repair and restore machines, vehicles, and equipment for agriculture and provided services such as well drilling. Apart from that, they maintained the necessary reserve of spare parts and fuel.
“Then came a period when we all became marketeers. As a result, half of the agricultural machinery service enterprises were destroyed. That was the kind of market we had. After some time we realized our mistakes and began to understand that such centers need to exist. I insist that they should exist in every district,” the president said.
In modern Belarus a network of district agricultural service enterprises and oblast ones is being developed on the basis of former agricultural service enterprises, which are united into the industrial group Belagroservice.
“We are moving very slowly with their restoration, outfitting, and re-equipment where necessary. Very slowly. Therefore, we need to speed up,” Aleksandr Lukashenko urged.
“Machines and vehicles are becoming more complex. Personnel need to be trained. An agricultural service enterprise also had a school and it did not improve and train only engineers. In other words, it is a necessary undertaking. The decision has been made [in favor of restoring them]. We have restored more than half,” the head of state said to summarize the intermediate results.
He noted that in some regions local authorities have already decided to suspend the process and not rush to create agricultural service enterprises in small districts, saying that those can seek help from neighboring ones as the reason. One example is the town of Narovlya. It is located not far from Mozyr with its well-equipped Mozyrtekhnservis enterprise. Aleksandr Lukashenko disagrees with this approach. “Narovlya should have something as well,” he stated. “It needs something for quick fixes, too.”
“Narovlya may not be a pressing issue today. Over time we will see whether we need it or not. But there are districts where it is very much needed: Zhitkovichi District, Shklov District, and the rest. These are large districts that can also cater to [neighboring districts as well]. We need to restore these basic ones. We will call them inter-district ones,” the president outlined the priority tasks. But after that, it is still necessary to return to the matter of creating agricultural service enterprises in every district, albeit small ones.
For example, the head of state considers the Mozyrtekhnservis enterprise where the seminar-conference was taking place to be a fairly high-level organization. “I am not talking only about repair and maintenance. There is also the production of corresponding machines and vehicles. That is too much. But such hubs need to exist,” he said. As the president was informed, as an inter-district center, the enterprise caters not only to Mozyr District but also to a number of other districts of Gomel Oblast. Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that in that case it is necessary to think about setting up workshops in those districts that do not have an agricultural service enterprise of their own.
As the next step in the forward-looking development of agricultural service enterprises, it was suggested to the head of state that enterprises with highly qualified personnel and a manufacturing base should be refitted almost up to factory standards. It would allow repairing not only the mechanical part but also more complex components: electronic control units, hydraulic systems, and other things. Apart from that, such a step would essentially make agricultural service enterprises conduits for the ideas of manufacturing plants. It was also noted that such a solution would provide economic stability to agricultural service enterprises. Furthermore, an increase in production capacities creates new jobs. And close ties with colleges and agricultural higher education institutions allow attracting young people to enterprises.
“We need to draw up this plan so that we could understand where we need to build or restore,” the Belarusian leader gave the instruction. At the same time, he added, such organizations need to create comfortable conditions for agricultural enterprises: “It is necessary to think sensibly and build a scheme in a way as to make things attractive for collective farms and state farms, so that they would come to this agricultural service enterprise.”
Summarizing everything that had been said, Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that the network of district, inter-district, and oblast agricultural service enterprises must be built: “Machines and vehicles are becoming more complex. They need to be serviced. You cannot take everything to the factory. There is one factory, but we have hundreds of collective farms and state farms. Therefore, we need to have this.”
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