MOGILEV, 1 April (BelTA) – The Belarusian development model has once again proved its viability and reliability. Mogilev Oblast Governor Leonid Zayats made the statement during a festive event held in the Palace of Culture in Mogilev on 1 April to review results of Mogilev Oblast's social and economic development in 2020, BelTA has learned.
Representatives of top enterprises and top industries that are crucial to the way of life in the region gathered in the Palace of Culture.
The governor said: “We've lived a very complicated year. It may have been the hardest year in the entire history of independent Belarus. We've survived the trial of the pandemic, the trial of the world economic crisis. We've survived external pressure. The Belarusian development model has once again proved its viability and reliability in these complicated conditions.”
The main branches of Mogilev Oblast economy showed positive dynamics in 2020. The gross regional product growth totaled 100.9%, thus securing the first place for Mogilev Oblast among regions of the country. The industrial output growth rate totaled 103.4%. Industrial enterprises kept working without interruptions and no mass layoffs happened, the governor said. Investment projects at the Shklov-based newsprint mill and at Mogotex in Mogilev were finished in 2020. Large-scale modernization of Mogilevkhimvolokno, Belshina, Mogilevliftmash, Olsa, Bobruisk Factory of Vegetable Oils, and the Yelizovo glassworks continues. A woodworking cluster and a chemical cluster, which have been established by private companies in the free economic zone Mogilev, continue actively developing. Despite objective difficulties with foreign trade operations in 2020 as many as 120 new Mogilev Oblast companies started exporting their products.
Agribusiness was the main driver of Mogilev Oblast economy growth. Agricultural output growth rate totaled 108.8%. Gross grain output after processing totaled 1.2 million tonnes or 1.4 times up from 2019, Leonid Zayats stressed. Milk production rose by 6.4%, cattle and poultry production in live weight terms rose by 2.8% thanks to the observation of operating procedures in animal husbandry and measures taken to increase the number of cattle and cattle productiveness. The number of cattle increased by about 3,500 head.
Other spheres of life also achieved good results. Mogilev Oblast received a first-degree diploma from the Healthcare Ministry. “Medical workers deserve a special gratitude. The pandemic prepared the hardest exam for them but they passed it with flying colors. By doing smooth and at times heroic work, with assistance of the state our medics kept the situation under control. Close attention was paid to the development of the sphere of healthcare and the work will continue,” Leonid Zayats stressed.
About 370,000m2 of housing was built in Mogilev Oblast in 2020. Over 1,500 large families managed to improve their housing accommodations. A number of important social facilities were commissioned, including a memorial to Mogilev Oblast's burned-down villages in the village of Borki, Kirovsk District. “The memorial serves as a reminder for all of us of the importance of treasuring peace and of what monstrous tragedies can be brought about by the ideas of Nazism and the desire to enforce one's will through force of arms,” the official stressed.
Outstanding workers, the best organizations and companies of the region, winners of the national contest Entrepreneur of the Year were awarded in the Palace of Culture in Mogilev on 1 April.
Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Aleksandr Subbotin was also present during the festive event. He thanked those present for their hard work and wished them to keep up the good work.
Aleksandr Subbotin presented gratitudes of the Belarus president, medals for labor merits, and titles of the honored worker of agriculture.
A personal photo exhibition by BelTA's photo reporter Oleg Foinitsky was prepared in the hall of the Palace of Culture. The exhibition depicted Mogilev Oblast in 2020.
