A comprehensive project for the future of precision farming has already been developed! How will it make work in the fields easier?

Vladimir Grakun. Photo souz.by Every year Belarus introduces more and more new technologies in agriculture . On the eve of the professional holiday, we talked with Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Vladimir Grakun about how precision farming and resource-saving systems affect the harvest, what role the climate plays in obtaining it , and whether farmers managed to fulfill the task set by the President to collect at least 10 million tons of grain.

- Vladimir Vladimirovich, did farmers manage to take full advantage of the climatic advantages of 2024 ? - The ability of Belarusian farmers to use the accumulated experience and adapt to weather changes allows the industry to receive stable harvests. This year is no exception. The harvesting

of grain and leguminous crops with corn is almost complete . Grains and oilseeds of cruciferous crops in the initially received weight of about 10.3 million tons have been collected - this is an increase of half a million tons to the level of 2023. Including 1,161 thousand tons of oilseeds were threshed, including 1,156 thousand tons of rapeseed (plus 0.1 million tons compared to the 2023 level) with an average yield of 27.8 c/ha (plus 1.1 c/ha compared to the 2023 level). All grain will be used for food needs, seeds and livestock - for the production of products with high added value, which can be partially exported in the future: the country has decided to minimize the trade in raw materials. - High-precision technologies and equipment are playing an increasingly important role in the success of farmers. Does the equipment manufactured at domestic factories meet modern requirements? - Indeed, agricultural production has become a high-tech sector of the economy, which has a positive effect on the growth of the efficiency of agricultural enterprises. At the same time, 87% of the 212 thousand units of machinery and equipment of agricultural organizations are from domestic manufacturers. It meets world-class requirements and is used at all stages of the technological process: from soil cultivation and sowing to packaging and storage of finished products. - The Government has instructed the Ministry of Agriculture to organize work on the implementation of a precision farming system. How is this work progressing? - A comprehensive project of the future "Precision Farming" has already been developed, the basis of which will be a digital platform that combines individual elements of the precision farming system into a single software and hardware complex. Industrial enterprises will have to establish the production of a full line of precision farming system elements, as well as adapt existing equipment to these technologies. Full-scale implementation of the precision farming system will provide the necessary tools for monitoring and accounting of fields, monitoring equipment, and accounting for crop production.









– Are elements of such technology already used in Belarus?

– Yes. These include, for example, parallel driving systems, fuel consumption accounting, differentiated fertilizer application, plough control during plowing, soil sampling and analysis. More than 200 agricultural organizations fully use these elements. Precision farming technologies optimize the amount of applied materials, reduce costs, and increase crop yields. For example, driving systems ensure precise movement of agricultural machinery, increase the efficiency of agricultural implements, and significantly save fuel and applied materials. Material consumption and application control systems optimize the amount of applied seeds, fertilizers, and chemical protection products – that is, they significantly reduce the most expensive part of expenses. The yield control system allows you to accurately assess the amount of the harvest , save geo-referenced data necessary to determine the factors affecting the yield, such as soil type, the amount of seed and fertilizers applied, the amount of irrigation, etc. The analysis is important for adjusting the agricultural work plan, allows you to achieve maximum efficiency and productivity.

- The rapid pace of development of agricultural technologies is radically changing life in the countryside. How well are specialists trained in innovative farming methods?

- To achieve growth in the profitability of agribusiness, it is important to maximize the potential of young people and innovative technologies at the same time. Four domestic universities are successfully working in this direction today: the Belarusian Agricultural Academy, BSATU, Vitebsk Veterinary Academy and Grodno Agrarian University, training specialists for the agro-industrial complex in 46 specialties at 26 faculties. An important link in the agricultural education system are specialized classes in this area. Digital transformation of the agro-industrial complex, involvement of rural schoolchildren, students and pupils of secondary specialized educational institutions in innovative and entrepreneurial activities, formation of "seamless" education and an inseparable link "school - university - enterprise" - links in a single chain of development of digital agriculture, ensuring further improvement of all segments of the agro-industrial complex due to highly qualified specialists.

- There are still unprofitable agricultural enterprises in the country, even if their percentage is small. What strategies are used to bring them out of the "pivot"?

- Yes, unfortunately, there are such enterprises, but their share has decreased to 8% (in 2019 - 11.8%). The break-even point is being achieved within the framework of the systemic decisions taken by the HEAD of state. According to Decree No. 399 of October 2, 2018, a wide range of tools is used for this purpose, which allows restructuring debt obligations, optimizing management systems and organizing production, expanding the raw material zone of processing enterprises, and attracting an effective owner-investor. Such tools are implemented taking into account economic feasibility. The most frequently used methods are reorganization and merger with effectively operating enterprises (84 organizations), as well as the transfer of managerial functions (34). In addition, 7 organizations were directly sold. Thus, the measures taken allowed us to restore about 80% of organizations and improve their solvency ratios. Many of them demonstrate positive dynamics of growth in production and financial results, a decrease in losses and overdue obligations. By the way, the private sector of agribusiness shows investment interest in low-performance organizations. Thus, the Novitskikh farm in the Luninets district acquired the Mezhleskoye state unitary enterprise, the Opyt KAA farm in the Stolin district acquired the Rubelsky state unitary enterprise and the Lipnyanka state unitary enterprise.

– Belarus is increasing its dairy farming potential. What are the chances of increasing beef production, including through beef cattle breeds?

– A promising area for increasing beef production is breeding specialized beef breeds, which is the business of 6 selection and genetic centers and 28 breeding farms. They receive them for subsequent sale to domestic agricultural organizations. The most popular beef cattle breeds in the country are Hereford (43% of the total beef cattle population), Aberdeen Angus (31%), Limousin (24%) and Charolais (2%). Breeding young animals are also exported - mainly to the EAEU countries . In 2023, the EXPORT sales of beef cattle amounted to $ 1.6 million.

Since the main production of beef comes from fattening Holsteinized cattle, the financial results from its sale for slaughter cannot be considered in isolation from MILK production. If we talk about the total expected profitability of sales for 2024 (milk + cattle), it should be plus 4.9%. This trend in the development of Belarusian animal husbandry, which requires considering the efficiency of raising cattle for milk and MEAT , makes the economy of the agro-industrial complex self-sufficient and profitable for the producer and the country.

Tamara MARKINA,
newspaper "7 days".