"This revolution will be in the countryside." What agricultural crop did Lukashenka make the right bet on?

Alexander Lukashenko during a visit to the Shklov region, June 2022 Alexander Lukashenko during a visit to the Shklovsky region, June 2022 12 Topic news

Rape is called the plant of the future, although it was known as early as the fourth millennium BC. Holland and England are considered his homeland. There is an assumption that the culture originated from the crossing of field cabbage and colza. In our climate, rapeseed is the optimal oilseed plant in terms of yield. Its seed production has almost doubled in five years. In the new issue of the YouTube project "In Fact: Decisions of the First" we will tell you why rapeseed is considered oilseed gold, where it is used and why there is rapeseed oil on the presidential table .

What are the advantages and features of rapeseed

"Rapeseed is money for peasants. Today, even during these frenzied sanctions, Europe is asking: "Give me rapeseed oil!" We need to reach a million. We already have more than 700 thousand today. we will have a million in such a technological way, we will have a million. This is the topic. This should change agriculture . Therefore, there will be winter barley and there will be rapeseed," President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko expressed confidence in this during a working trip to the Mogilev region in June last year.

You may not understand agriculture at all, but you will recognize this culture from a thousand. Especially during the flowering period. The bright yellow fields make the perfect photo location every year. But if for the townspeople this is a beautiful landscape, for farmers and scientists it is literally a field of opportunity.

“This is a science-intensive crop. We work with all academic institutions of a biological profile. Our main goal is to create varieties and hybrids, as well as develop technologies for their cultivation,” said Yadviga Pilyuk, head of the oilseeds department of the Scientific and Practical Center for Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.

The expert added that Belarusian scientists are cooperating with the best centers of Russia for rapeseed breeding: “Just recently, we submitted samples to the Krasnodar Institute of Oilseeds. They will also send us samples. That is, we exchange material.

Jadwiga Piliuk also drew attention to the high competition among rapeseed breeders. "More than 20 of the best breeding farms in the world are working against us. And they recognize the quality of our work. But they always think how to take our places and sell us their products at a higher price," she concluded.

There are two types of rapeseed: spring and winter. That is, the harvest can be obtained twice: in summer and autumn. Winter rapeseed has a higher yield and more oil in the seeds. But he is more capricious and did not immediately want to be friends with the continental climate, as, for example, in our country or in many regions of Russia. It took Belarusian scientists 20 years to create winter-hardy varieties. Today, rapeseed is the main oilseed crop in our country.

"We have spring rapeseed, but it's like an insurance crop. If winter rapeseed does not winter well, spring rapeseed can stabilize the oil processing industry. At the same time, winter rapeseed is more productive," Jadwiga Piliuk said.

The expert spoke about the advantages of rapeseed over some other crops: "Rapeseed is not a grain crop. It has advantages over crops such as beets or flax. It does not require special equipment. It can be harvested by combine harvesters. But they need to be sealed. They have must have attachments.

Jadwiga Pilyuk dwelled on the specifics of rapeseed, which can cause some difficulties during harvesting. "Rapeseed is like water. Rapeseeds are 10 times smaller than cereals. They are very loose. And harvesting losses can be up to 30% of the crop," she stressed.

How much rapeseed is harvested in Belarus

Oilseeds are the main source of vegetable oils in Belarus. The natural and economic conditions of our country allow the efficient cultivation of rapeseed. In the structure of the gross harvest, this crop accounts for 97% of the total production volume. Last year, we managed to collect over 800 thousand tons. But this was not always the case. For example, at the beginning of the 2000s, the harvest was a little more than 100 thousand tons. But even such a volume made it possible to fulfill the state order in full. The decision of the head of state is to master the cultivation technology, increase production volumes and earn. It is not for nothing that rapeseed is called oilseed gold.

Today Belarus is in the top 20 exporters of rapeseed. We are in ninth position in the export of rapeseed oil. Last year alone, more than two dozen countries bought our product, which brought in $640 million to the treasury. And this is in the face of unprecedented sanctions pressure. The capacity of Belarusian oil-producing organizations for processing oilseeds is about 2 million tons per year. More than 90 enterprises are engaged in the production of rapeseed oil.

“Tomorrow you will have nothing to feed the people, drought and so on ... Maybe we will supply you with something. We have always supplied you, and to Europe as a whole, rapeseed oil instead of sunflower, olive oil. We produce a lot of rapeseed and supply you ", and we will supply. You need wood, furniture, etc.. You bought from us. We will supply you. Business will always find these ways. It's just crazy to impose sanctions in this interdependent world today. But you are doing it," he noted Alexander Lukashenko on the short-sighted policy of the European Union in an interview with France Presse news agency in July last year.

Alexander Lukashenko during an interview with Agence France-Presse, July 2022

"He sees much further. He is not only a strong politician, but also a peasant. In our country, sunflower does not ripen in order to produce sunflower oil. In the southern regions, perhaps, due to warming in the future, we will already produce sunflower seeds" - said Anatoly Ulasevich, deputy chairman of the Belgospischeprom state concern.

However, 10-15 years ago, when the head of state gave instructions to develop the fat-and-oil industry of Belarus and increase rapeseed crops, he looked much further. "If, for example, there is no supply of sunflower oil, we will have our own, we will feed our people. This is a far-sighted decision," Anatoly Ulasevich is convinced.

What are the health benefits of rapeseed oil

Rapeseed oil is called "northern olive oil" because it has the same oleic acid content as olive oil. Nutritionists say that it is a valuable source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which means it is a guarantee of vascular health and youthful skin. The benefits can be listed further. Belarusian housewives also increasingly began to buy rapeseed oil. The price does not bite, and the taste is not particularly distinguishable from the usual sunflower. As the President admitted more than once, at his dinner table there are also always products seasoned or cooked with rapeseed oil.

“The European Union has not abandoned rapeseed oil from Belarus, they are happy to buy it. And our people are already starting to get used not to olive, not to sunflower, but to rapeseed oil. there is a little bitterness there, but it is ours, Belarusian, grown on earth and very healthy. Europe understands this, the Americans understand. They buy huge amounts of rapeseed oil," Alexander Lukashenko told the chairman of the Belgospischeprom concern two years ago, who delivered a report to the head of state.

Why did Lukashenka once stake on the cultivation of rapeseed

Belarus is in the zone of risky farming. From sowing to harvesting - a very short period of time. Therefore, it is necessary to cultivate those crops that are suitable for such conditions. And rapeseed is just one of them. Climate change is taking its toll. Therefore, scientists are working to adapt rapeseed to difficult conditions so that it winters well, does not get sick and is resistant to pests. For example, today there are already varieties and hybrids of rapeseed that contain up to 50% oil and up to 27% protein.

"Alexander Grigorievich supported this (cultivation of rapeseed and increasing the yield of this crop. - approx. BelTA) from the very beginning. It is impossible to sow 400 thousand tons without the support of the head of state. In 2000 he visited us for the first time. In 2005 - the second. Then there were more visits at different levels. But, in principle, he always remembered it. He has a good memory. Once he said: what did I tell you? We bombarded Belarus with rapeseed. There was not much sales until we began to deepen processing in a multi-vector way. As a result, it turned out that we have a culture. A good product. More than 40 oil processing enterprises work on this culture. And these are jobs, a national treasure," said Yadviga Piliuk.

Jadwiga Pilyuk. Video screenshot

What products are produced using rapeseed oil

Cooking is far from the only area of ​​application for rapeseed oil. It is used in medicine, cosmetology, industry, agriculture. It is a good base for many lubricants. From rapeseed create environmentally friendly fuel - biodiesel. Rape cake is also of value. It is an excellent protein feed for animals. That is, by growing this crop, it is possible to provide the country with food, fuel, and raw materials for industry.

"For human health, rapeseed oil is useful in the same way as sea fish, fish oil, essential amino acids. All this has a positive effect on human health . Not only refined refined food oil is produced on the basis of rapeseed, but also margarine, mayonnaise, even cream soap , as well as household, bath and baby soap, and other types of products. In addition, rapeseed oil is used in confectionery. The same cakes, cookies, pastries," Anatoly Ulasevich listed.

Anatoly Ulasevich. Video screenshot

The deputy chairman of Belgospischeprom also noted a by-product of rapeseed: “This is rapeseed cake, which is used for the production of animal feed. This is a protein raw material for poultry, pigs, cattle and other animals. It has a positive effect on the quality of milk and meat, weight gain, and so on. ".

What kind of rapeseed crop is planned to be harvested in Belarus this year

Over the past year, the sale of bottled rapeseed oil on the domestic market has grown by almost one and a half times compared to 2021 and five and a half times compared to 2020. Obviously, more and more Belarusians prefer the domestic product. This year, farmers plan to harvest a record harvest of rapeseed - 1 million tons of oilseeds. For this, crops were increased. But in order for everything to go like clockwork, the efforts of scientists and farmers are not enough. Even if the weather did not disappoint. Gold, even oilseed, is not easy to mine.

"We need to give impetus to this great cause. Believe me, this will be a revolution in the countryside. If in this famine (and there will be famine in the world, even I already believe in it, despite the chatter of politicians) ... If we ensure food security ... We will already provided," the President of Belarus said during a working trip to the Mogilev region in July last year.

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