Meat shortage in Belarus is impossible

The market is full of rumors. No, no, yes, and the information space will give birth to some kind of “fear”. Recently, most often - about the shortage of certain goods. Only these stories are not always substantiated. And in some cases, they even seem to be a marketing tool: they stimulate sales. Well, when various insinuations still arise regarding imported products. There can be various accidents: interruptions in the international market, difficulties with logistics, some kind of downtime for foreign manufacturers. But it is strange when the threat of a shortage of basic food items, such as chicken or beef, is seriously discussed. The products we produce are one and a half times more than we consume. Even theoretically, there can be no difficulties with these goods.

In what, in what, and in terms of the food marketBelarus has not been dependent on imports for a long time. Except perhaps in niche product groups: tea, coffee , citrus fruits... In a word, those products that we call the notorious term "critical imports". We have our own basic food products. And in abundance. And they are a significant EXPORT item.

No need to think and guess, trust the fabrications of marketers. There are stubborn statistics. And she claims: two and a half times more MILK and dairy products are produced in Belarus than consumed. Beef - almost 1.7 times more, chicken - 1.4 times, eggs - 1.3 times. For potatoes, vegetables and gourds, self-sufficiency is about one hundred percent. As well as pork. If there are any questions, then on fruits and berries. Their production from consumption is 50-60 percent. Sometimes 80 percent, as in 2018, when there was an unprecedentedly high harvest of apples.

But if we talk about livestock products, then its shortage is impossible under any circumstances. Moreover, our agricultural industry is characterized by minimal dependence on imports. Let's be objective: there are some bottlenecks. In terms of the production of some feed additives, veterinary drugs. Used in livestock complexes and imported technology and equipment. But their importance should not be overestimated.

In most cases, we did not purchase turnkey solutions from importers. Many components for farms are already produced by Belarusian enterprises. Yes, some components, assemblies were used foreign. But in general, in terms of design, construction, maintenance of modern livestock complexes, sufficient competencies have been accumulated in the country. This allows you to quickly and without loss of efficiency switch to new equipment suppliers. By the way, this experience is quite interesting today for Russian agricultural holdings, which often purchased technology from Western suppliers "from and to".

In a word, the cooling of relations with European countries and suppliers has not actually affected our agricultural sector. All issues were resolved, so to speak, in working order.

Therefore, in the first quarter, the growth rate of agricultural production amounted to 103 percent compared to the same period last year. Moreover, the production of poultry and livestock (in live weight) increased by almost four percent.

In other words, food in general and MEAT products in the country are produced in excess. Accordingly, there can be no shortage. Neither theoretically nor practically. Moreover, Belarus has developed a clear system for filling the domestic market. And governments monitor the availability of key consumer goods in trade.

Therefore, all fears of a shortage of some food products are groundless. And the assumptions about their shortage are clearly unprofessional. However, today many interests are intertwined in the information space. The most diverse and not always plausible. Pressure on the nerves of the population is one of the instruments of hybrid confrontation. Do not forget about the marketing component. As you know, the manipulation of public opinion often occurs in purely commercial interests. Reasons and sources of rumors can be very different. The main thing is that they do not become a cause for concern. Assumptions are assumptions, but there are concrete numbers. And they say that food in the country is produced in abundance.