Director of the Institute for System Research in the Agro-Industrial Complex on food security in Belarus

Recently, the National Academy of Sciences identified the top 10 results of the activities of NAS scientists in the field of fundamental and applied research for 2021. Among the winners are scientists from the Institute of the MEAT and Dairy Industry of the Scientific and Practical Center for Food, as well as employees of the Institute for System Research in the Agro-Industrial Complex. They received the award for developing a comprehensive science-based strategy and effective mechanisms for national food security. The most important goal of this strategy is to improve the quality of nutrition and life of the population of the republic by saturating the domestic market with high quality domestic products at affordable prices for the population,

What recommendations do scientists give to ensure food safety in the country, how they will be applied in practice, what effect it will have for the agro-industrial complex of Belarus, as well as how the interaction between science and the agricultural sector is established, director of the Institute for System Research in the Agro-Industrial Complex of the National Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member told BelTA National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, DOCTOR of Economics, Professor Andrei Pilipuk.

Ensuring food security is an essential component of sustainable socio-economic development of the country. "Today we can confidently speak about the unique Belarusian model of food security, the effectiveness of which is recognized throughout the world. It is based on sufficient domestic production of agricultural products and food, their guaranteed accessibility for the population, as well as well-functioning systems for monitoring and controlling their implementation," Andrey Pilipuk said.

According to him, the problem of food safety is under close attention of the President and the government of the country. "It was on the instructions of ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO to develop the first strategic document in this most important area - the Concept of National Food Security - in 2003 that the building of an existing food security system began. The domestic agro-industrial complex was tasked with increasing agricultural and food production, eliminating dependence on imports, increasing consumption of basic foodstuffs by the population to a rational level Over the following years, Belarus became a self-sufficient food and export-oriented state, was able to successfully solve not only its food problem,

In 2017, at the initiative of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, together with state authorities, the Doctrine of National Food Security until 2030 was developed and approved by the government. It is a system of official state strategic priorities in the agri-food sector. Its goals and objectives are now being consistently implemented.

“At the same time, increased attention to the problem of food security is especially necessary at the moment. Our country, as a subject of the global economy, is facing new and increasingly complex challenges. The global market situation remains extremely unstable, access to food and the means of its production is limited by changes in international logistics , there are crisis phenomena in the economies of some countries of the world, - the expert noted. - That is why it is important to constantly develop new solutions, effective mechanisms in the current conditions with an appropriate action plan to ensure food security and independence of the state. To propose for consideration and implementation of such mechanisms - in this and that is the task of science.

As Andrei Pilipuk noted, today it is a great honor for the team of authors of the development, included in the Top 10, to be part of the scientific school, which was created by famous Belarusian scientists - Academician Vladimir Gusakov and Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences Zinaida Ilyina. "It is their many years of work and fundamental results that have made it possible to create the basis for effective work in this area in Belarus, as well as in the space of the Eurasian Economic Union, the Union State and the CIS," the professor emphasized.

For Belarus, ensuring national food security is the result of the joint work of the domestic agro-industrial complex and the entire agricultural science. "Scientists develop and offer for implementation innovative solutions in the development of the agro-industrial complex, which are focused on the optimal use of the potential of science for the production of effective and affordable veterinary drugs, seeds, protective equipment, systems of machines and equipment, technologies and products of specialized and functional nutrition. There is also a constant work to improve the organizational structure of the agro-industrial complex, which in our country in the future can be represented by large integrated agro-industrial associations, holdings and clusters,” said the HEAD of the institute.

Thus, food security is ensured when tasks are effectively solved at each stage and all participants in the system - agricultural producers, food industry enterprises, trade, the state - work on the principles of sustainable development and strategic partnership. As a result, agriculture receives the necessary resources to produce sufficient quantities of agricultural raw materials and high quality food.

"The capacities of the manufacturing industry of the agro-industrial complex created in the country are provided with domestic raw materials within the framework of the state order system and regulated production zones in the SUGAR beet, dairy, meat, flax subcomplexes. The final agro-food products are fully competitive in quality and price both in the domestic and foreign markets. Active work is being carried out to expand the capabilities of domestic producers at the stage of marketing products, including in retail chains," Andriy Pylypuk noted.

The most important task remains to ensure rational and healthy nutrition of the population, and especially the most vulnerable categories: families with children, pensioners, people in need of specialized nutrition.

Thus, the scope of domestic scientific developments covers the entire food security chain.

In addition, the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus annually conducts comprehensive monitoring. In the event that potential threats to reduce the level of protection of national interests in terms of the availability and quality of food are identified, the government develops the necessary regulatory measures.

"Based on the monitoring results, we can say with confidence that in the context of the pandemic and the impact of the global economic crisis, the Belarusian model and strategy for ensuring food security has shown its high efficiency. By the end of 2020, 935 kg of grain per capita, 558 kg of potatoes were produced in the republic. , 187 kg - vegetables, 428 kg - sugar beets, 137 kg - livestock and poultry (in slaughter weight), 828 kg - MILK and 373 eggs.This allows not only to saturate the domestic market with high quality products, but also to have a significant EXPORT potential The balance of foreign trade in agricultural products and food products has been positive for a number of years, and in 2020 it exceeded $1.5 billion. Agricultural products and food products were exported in the amount of $5.8 billion.Belarusian products are sold in the markets of 116 countries," the director said.

These figures clearly confirm that a sustainable agro-industrial complex and agriculture are the fundamental basis of the socio-economic and political stability of the state, as well as a serious source of future economic growth.

BELTA.