State support and production growth. On the development of farms in Belarus

Agriculture is one of the priority sectors of the Belarusian economy, which is responsible for food security and the EXPORT potential of our country. Belarus fully meets its food needs and is on a par with countries with self-sufficient agricultural production. Our farmers also play an important role in this. Today, peasant farms are equal business entities in the agricultural sector of Belarus. Tatyana Lenskaya, Head of the Department for Reforms, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Forms of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, spoke about state support for farmers and production volumes at a press conference, BelTA has learned.

According to Tatyana Lenskaya, at the beginning of this year there were 3,802 peasant (farmer) households in the country, of which 3,344 farms carry out agricultural activities.

"There are more than 300 thousand hectares in land use of farms, and the average size of a land plot is 92 hectares. it should be noted that in recent years the number of farms has been steadily growing. So, if we consider the period from 2016 to the present, the number of farms has increased by 24 %, of which farms engaged in agricultural activities - by 30%. In addition, agricultural areas have increased by 80% since 2016, "said the head of the department for reform, entrepreneurship and small businesses of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

The specialist emphasized that the main direction of agricultural activity of peasant (farm) enterprises is the crop industry. It accounts for more than 90% of the total volume of products produced by farms.

"In the structure of crop production, the most attractive for the farming community is the cultivation of cereals, potatoes, vegetables, fruits and berries. So, since 2016, the share of farms in the republican volumes for potato production has increased from 6% to 13%, and for grain crops - from 2% to 4%. The largest growth was noted in the production of fruits and berries - from 6% in 2016 to 13% in 2022," said Tatiana Lenskaya.

As noted by the head of the department for reform, entrepreneurship and small businesses of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the livestock sector for the farming sector is less in demand and the most labor-intensive.

"Livestock breeding has received wider development in the large-scale commodity sector. Thus, in the total volume of the country, the share of peasant (farmer) households in the production of livestock products is less than 1%. However, despite the insignificant share, the volume of livestock products is still increasing. Now there is an increase MILK production by almost 2 times," the specialist explained.

She stressed that the farming sector not only shows an increase in the number of entities, but also shows the effectiveness of the products produced.

"Over a long period of time, the level of profitability of sales of peasant (farm) households did not fall below 17%. At the beginning of this year, the profitability approached 21%. The share in the total volume of agricultural products amounted to 3.1%," Tatyana Lenskaya assured.

According to the head of the Department of Reform, Entrepreneurship and Small Forms of Management of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the state is now interested in further increasing the efficiency and developing the potential of peasant (farm) enterprises.

“So, a wide range of measures is currently being implemented in Belarus, which is reflected in the decree of the head of state No. 347 “On state agrarian policy”, as well as the state program “Agricultural business” for 2021-2025. receiving state support both at the regional level and at the republican level," the specialist said.

She emphasized that at the regional level, for the development of peasant (farm) farms, it is planned to reduce the cost of fuel, credit support with a preferential interest rate or partial payment of interest from budget funds, reimbursement of part of the costs of certification of organic products, agrochemical services and much more.

At the republican level, farmers receive state support in such areas as the execution of documents certifying the rights to land plots, planting fruit and berry crops, the development of livestock breeding and seed breeding, as well as ensuring the general conditions for the functioning of the agro-industrial complex.

"In addition, at the state level, there is an opportunity to expand the production base of peasant (farmer) farms, which is provided for by Decree No. 399 "On the financial rehabilitation of agricultural organizations." The norm of the decree provides for the opportunity for an investor to acquire insolvent agricultural organizations, rent them, and act as a manager , as well as transfer the state block of shares to trust management. Currently, three peasant (farm) enterprises have taken advantage of this opportunity. Two of them are located in the Brest region, one in the Gomel region," said Tatiana Lenskaya.

To sell agricultural products during the off-season, regional executive committees and district executive committees, together with organizations of the Belkoopsoyuz, organize fairs in regional and district centers. In addition, farms participate in international exhibitions "Belagro" and other events.

"For the effective development of farms at the initial stage, tax legislation provides for a special taxation regime. This regime for three years provides for exemption from paying all types of taxes, except for tax on income from activities not related to the production of agricultural products. After the expiration of this period, taxation of peasant (farming) farms are produced as for agricultural organizations. In addition, farmers are given the opportunity to conduct a simplified accounting and reporting system," explained the head of the department for reform, entrepreneurship and small forms of farming of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

She added that an advisory and expert council for the development of entrepreneurship functions at the site of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, where the issues most in demand for the farming community are discussed.

"I note that starting from January 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture, together with state authorities and the Belarusian Financial Support Fund under the Ministry of Economy, has expanded the areas of state support. So, at present, farms can apply to the Belarusian Financial Support Fund with the necessary package of documents (can be found on their official website) and receive state support in the form of a loan.Support will be in the amount of no more than 15 thousand basic units (1 BV - Br37) for 5 years at 0.5 of the refinancing rate of the NATIONAL BANK, "summed up the specialist.

According to her, such support can be used for the primary development, acquisition and modernization of buildings and structures necessary for the production activities of the farm, as well as the purchase of machinery and equipment for farms.

BELTA.