Lukashenka explained why sanctions are good for agriculture Alexander Lukashenko

August 9, MINSK. The sanctions had practically no effect on the agricultural sector, and therefore, given the good prospects for harvest this year, growth is expected from the industry. President of Belarus ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO told the Council of Ministers about the functioning of the economy under sanctions and measures to overcome them, BelTA has learned.

The HEAD of state stressed the inadmissibility of the negative dynamics of production in agriculture. "What is unacceptable (a drop in production. - BELTA's note) is agriculture. Not in terms of the attention it receives, but in terms of the fact that they (agrarians. - BELTA's note) were practically not affected by sanctions. These sanctions have affected them favor: carry, sell, especially in RUSSIA. And the most marginal market today is the Russian one," the President said. "Sanctions are good for agriculture."

At the same time, he also recalled the need to increase food supplies to CHINA in order not to lose positions there.

Alexander Lukashenko stressed that the industry is expected to grow by 4% this year. "The new minister (Igor Brylo - approx. BelTA) swore on blood. Everyone in Belarus knows that agricultural production will increase by 4% by the end of the year. God has given us a wonderful harvest of all types of crops," the head of state said.

The head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food reported that at the end of the year there is an ambitious task - to reach $7.8 billion in exports, thus adding $1.1 billion to the level of 2021.

However, the President emphasized that behind favorable figures in terms of value, one should not forget about production in physical terms. In other words, "pieces". “I demand that at these high prices we reach the level of the past year at least in pieces. Therefore, there is no need to play around here: here, in terms of value, not in terms of value ... And if we sold in pieces, can you imagine how much money we still would have received," the Belarusian leader said.

Igor Brylo noted that today there are practically no stocks in warehouses, EXPORT is growing. As for the domestic market, volumes have been brought to each region, deliveries have been agreed, the situation is under control.

Alexander Lukashenko inquired about the fact that there is a shortage of certain types of goods on the market. The minister acknowledged that there is a certain problem with the packaging of tetra-packs, and so far it has not been possible to replace this segment in full. "That's the only problem," he said.

In this regard, the President noted that people should get the product they are used to, albeit in a different package: “They don’t eat tetra-pack. People eat what’s in tetra-pack. So you go out and say: “Good people, yes, as long as we have a problem with this tetrapack, please buy the same product, only it will be in packages. "Igor Brylo explained in response that the production lines need to be rebuilt. "So the war goes on. Rebuild in a day, in a night!" the head of state urgently demanded.

The minister assured that everything possible would be done so as not to lose the volume of MILK in retail chains.

Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, in turn, noted that in addition to the issue of packaging, there is another point: some of the products are now actively exported, which is beneficial for enterprises. Therefore, at present, the situation of filling the domestic market for full demand is controlled by administrative means. This is especially true for the city of Minsk, which does not have its own raw materials zones.

In this regard, Alexander Lukashenko noted that the state has invested a lot of money in the agro-industrial complex, enterprises have cost advantages in a number of areas, and therefore, against the backdrop of state support, issues of ensuring the domestic market should be among the priorities.