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At a session in Minsk
on 23 July Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko demanded quality, speed
and effort while harvesting crops, BelTA has learned.
The head of state
emphasized that harvesting is the culmination of all agricultural works: “This
is the most important stage of agricultural works and it will largely determine
what will be in warehouses and on the tables of Belarusians and people outside
Belarus. I mean export.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko
stated that the situation in the field is rather complicated because of the
technological state of crops. Weather conditions are difficult to predict and
the situation can deteriorate dramatically. “Therefore, I earnestly ask and
demand that you do everything fast. Do not wait till grain will dry in the
field. Judging by the previous experience, we should harvest problem-ridden
fields, because if the weather deteriorates tomorrow it will not be possible to
do it,” the president said.
“Weather conditions,
someone calls them abnormal, affected the formation of spring crops. In these
conditions we will have to harvest flax, rapeseed and grain at the same time,”
Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
In this regard, the
president gave an instruction regarding the structure of crops for the future:
“I have consulted with specialists and now I am nearly 100% sure that we need
to increase the area under winter barley. Today our average yield is about
33-35 centners per hectare, while that of winter barley is almost 50 centners
per hectare. If we sow winter barley, as well as any crop at the
technologically right time, its yield will be 50-60 centners per hectare.”
“What else do we
need? If the yield of all crops [grain crops] were 50 centners per hectare, we
would not need anything else. We would not need oil and gas [Belarus would be
able to meet its economic needs even without vast deposits of mineral
resources]. And we can have it. Therefore, we should increase the area under
winter barley. In fact, today when we are about to embark on mass harvesting of
grain, we see that winter barley has already ripened due to the short growing
season and we have already harvested it. If we had more winter barley with the
yield of 50 centners per hectare - we would be in perfect order,” the head of
state said.
Therefore, the
president urged not only to increase the winter barley areas but also to
observe all processes technologically. “We usually have a drought in mid-July,
but this is no longer dangerous for winter barley,” Aleksandr Lukashenko cited
another argument.
The head of state
also instructed to conduct an appropriate experiment in his hometown.
Returning to the
topic of harvesting, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that the situation is
aggravated by extremely tight deadlines and simultaneous harvesting of
perennial grasses. In this regard, he gave a number of instructions.
“Within a short
period of time, agricultural works should be arranged properly so that
everything could be done in time, including fodder procurement and grain
harvesting. Thus, pace and quality are the main requirements for the upcoming
harvesting period. At the same time, it is necessary to prevent grain losses at
all costs,” the head of state said.
He asked the State
Control Committee, law enforcement agencies to monitor the use of farm
machines, especially combine harvesters, in order to prevent grain losses, for
which it is necessary to observe a number of technological conditions.
According to the head of state, this also can help save about 600,000-700,000
tonnes of grain.
The president
criticized the low yield of rapeseed in the country.
According to
Aleksandr Lukashenko, the government has done everything and even more to
ensure successful harvesting. The government also provided funds for equipment
and fuel. “The only thing that remains to be done is to organize the whole
process,” the president noted.
The head of state
demanded that harvesting should be completed in the optimal agro-technical
period. In this regard, he demanded that officials in charge of the
agricultural industry should submit reports on a number of issues.
Firstly, the
president wanted to know what else should be done to prepare harvesting
equipment for work, whether spare parts are in good supply and how operational
maintenance and repair are organized, because at this moment, according to
available information, about 9% of grain harvesters are out of service.
“I instruct the State
Control Committee and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to inspect the farms and
audit the vehicle fleet to see whether any machines stand idle today. The
prosecutor general will join the effort too. After that, we will evaluate the
performance of every governor. Do not expect financial assistance in the future
if cases of mismanagement are detected,” the head of state warned.
In addition, the
regulatory authorities have identified the cases of theft of spare parts, fuels
and lubricants, as well as false reporting on equipment readiness. “I have been
meaning to deal with this issue for a long time. Workers stealing from their
companies have recently become extremely brazen. I ask you to nip this issue in
the bud, to say nothing that it is morally wrong,” the head of state demanded.
“Theft must be nipped in the bud."
Secondly, Aleksandr
Lukashenko wanted updates on the readiness of grain drying complexes. According
to the Agriculture and Food Ministry, some 10% of them are not yet ready to
receive grain. “I will also ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State
Control Committee and the Prosecutor General to take control of this issue
too,” he instructed.
In this regard, the
following question arises: how will the production capacities of bakery
factories be used? Acceptance of grain of any moisture content must be ongoing
around the clock, and the state procurement targets must be fulfilled, the
Belarusian leader emphasized.
“This pertains not
only to state procurement. If a farm has no place to dry grain or its complex
is overstretched, the heads of oblast and district executive committees should
make administrative decisions on site,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The head of state
ordered to determine grain prices bakeries pay to farms, so that there would be
no complaints from farmers.
According to
preliminary information, this year's grain is suitable for high-quality baking,
the head of state said. “We need to procure more such domestic grain for
baking. We need to buy as much as we planned and maybe even more. There may not
be such grain next year. Bakery complexes need to ensure smooth grain
acceptance and processing. They also need to pay farmers in full,” the
Belarusian leader said.
The third issue,
which the president mentioned, concerned the situation with farm machine
operators. In his words, there is a shortage of about 1,500 combine harvester
operators. “It is outrageous. It means that you, governors, did not prepare for
harvesting” the head of state said. According to the president, they have
forgotten the Soviet times when everything went like clockwork. He urged to
ensure such order here.
According to
Aleksandr Lukashenko, industrial enterprises should provide assistance to the
countryside, both with technical means and human resources. “All workers
involved in harvesting should be provided with everything they need, including
three meals a day, if necessary. They also need to be paid well. Farmers are
waiting for harvesting to earn money. Everyone has children - schoolchildren,
students. People's wellbeing is the most important factor here,” said Aleksandr
Lukashenko.
Fourthly, the head of
state wants order and discipline enforced in the sector. “Everything I have
just talked about is impossible to achieve without discipline and order. This
primarily concerns protection of harvesting and grain drying machinery and
crops from fires,” the president said. “We should also crack down on grain
thieves. Any violations of work discipline, including negligence, alcohol
abuse, under-performance, are unacceptable. Not only at work places, but also
in general,” he stressed.
Fifthly, we should
not forget about subsidiary plots of individuals, around 70,000 hectares of
which are planted to grain crops and can yield around 200,000 tonnes of grain,
Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out. “This is a good addition. As always, I ask
you to help people crop this harvest. Please, do it in time, before rainy
weather sets in. Every household should have at least a low-capacity harvester
to help people work the field. If we assist them, they will want to continue
growing grain crops,” the head of state said.
The aim of the
meeting is to ensure that harvesting runs smoothly and on schedule, Aleksandr
Lukashenko stressed. “The result will heavily depend on your capability to
manage human resources and machinery. We should draw up an annual strategy of
activities depending on weather conditions that are, unfortunately, beyond our
control,” he noted.
Firm discipline is
key to successful harvesting, the president believes. He called for tougher
punishment for violations and for more effective measures to eliminate
shortcomings. “There should be no negligence – everyone should focus on their
work to collect the harvest from the fields,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Written by: belta.by