Lukashenko in Shklov: the topic of today is order and further reform of agriculture

August 9, Shklov. Today's topic is order and further reform of agriculture. President of Belarus ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO announced this in the Shklovsky district, BELTA correspondent reports.

In Shklov, the HEAD of state convened a meeting on the effective development of agricultural production in the Shklov and Orsha regions. However, Alexander Lukashenko immediately raised the question more broadly - on a national scale. “The topic of today is order and further reform of agriculture,” the President said.  

On strengthening the role of district leaders

One of the issues raised by the head of state during a working trip to the Shklovsky district concerned the role of the chairmen of district executive committees. We are talking about legal regulation of their activities and a clear understanding of their powers and scope of responsibility. “I think that there are questions for us. For me,” said Alexander Lukashenko.


The head of state stated that the country actually does not have a legal act on the chairmen of district executive committees or regional executive committees, which would clearly set out the relevant issues for everyone. “And this is necessary for people to open the book and read: these are my (the chairman of the executive committee - BELTA’s note) powers and functions,” the President noted.

He explained that then it would be clear to everyone what the chairmen of executive committees can demand and from whom, there would be no disputes over departmental subordination and the limits of competence.
About the origins of the revival of agriculture

Speaking about the development of agriculture, the President recalled how it all began at the dawn of the formation of Belarus as an independent sovereign state. The first program for the revival, and in fact, the salvation of the village, became a logical continuation of the first election program of Alexander Lukashenko, the main message of which was to take the country back from the abyss. Then there was an urgent task of providing people with food, because there was not enough food, many of them were issued with coupons.


“Therefore, a simple vital task was set - to feed people,” the head of state recalled. According to him, the lack of financial resources in the state did not allow the immediate adoption of a rural revival program. “Certain funds were needed to boost agriculture and thereby feed the people,” he said.

Another serious area that was then concentrated on was the mobilization of people, among whom there was serious confusion in those years. There were some mistakes at the initial stage. There was experience in organizing farms for which the land was divided and cut into pieces. However, even at that time, large farmlands were still preserved, on which state and collective farms were based. And, as time has shown, this decision was the most correct. After all, now we are talking about the need to unite a number of farms and enlarge them. Many people in neighboring countries are following this path.



To date, a number of agricultural programs have been implemented in Belarus, and a serious base has been created for its development, especially in the Shklov and Orsha regions. This was confirmed by the new head of the Shklov district executive committee, Sergei Bartosh, upon arriving at the site (and he, as the former Minister of Agriculture and Food, has something to compare with). The basis for agriculture, according to him, in the region is excellent.

On why we cannot be complacent

Summing up what was done in the previous period, the President emphasized that this does not mean that we can now rest on our laurels. “We brought the people away from the abyss, we fed them, clothed them, and so on, so forth. Can we calm down? No,” stated Alexander Lukashenko. At the meeting, according to the President, it is necessary to determine further steps to improve and develop agricultural production.

About two rampart-forming areas - lighthouses,

the Head of State explained why special attention is concentrated on two areas. Shklovsky is well known to the head of state from his previous work, so transformations took place here under his control, which were then planned to be extended to other regions. There were agricultural enterprises - beacons that others should focus on according to the principle “Go, learn, repeat.”


“The Orsha district in the Vitebsk region, I believe, is the most promising. And the way it works is unacceptable,” said Alexander Lukashenko regarding the second district, which was discussed at the meeting. The region has a good base with a wide range of agricultural production, including even livestock breeding.

“Everyone there knows how to do it. With such a base, it is unacceptable how it has developed over the past few years and is developing now,” the President emphasized.

Using the example of these two districts, he said, it is necessary to determine the next steps for the modernization and development of agricultural production and the village as a whole. They can become a kind of models for others, but not necessarily a bonanza for farms throughout the country. For example, in a number of districts of the Grodno region they have already decided what the agro-industrial complex will be like, and when determining the strategy for the Shklov and Orsha districts, it is important not to destroy what has already been created in other regions. The emphasis should be placed primarily on establishing order, obtaining the greatest effect from capital investments and ensuring technological and performance discipline.
During the meeting, Alexander Lukashenko drew attention to the need to resolve a very important issue - determining methods for increasing the efficiency of agricultural production in two gross-generating regions.

At first the conversation turned to Orsha. The region received an impetus for development at the end of 2018, when the President signed decree No. 506 “On the development of the Orsha region” in order to improve the level and quality of life of people.

A five-year accelerated development program was adopted, which covered almost all areas of production and the social sphere. “The project is indicative. We used the program-target method. We identified the elements of integration,” noted Alexander Lukashenko.

The President emphasized that all the necessary resources had been allocated, and specifically over Br1 billion had been invested in the agro-industrial complex of the Orsha region. “The region has been raised a little. People’s salaries have been increased. The outflow of personnel has slowed down (only slowed down),” the head of state pointed out the positive effect.


At the same time, shortcomings were also mentioned. Thus, not all activities provided for by the program were completed, and a number of production and financial indicators were not achieved. In particular, it was not possible to reach the parameters for grains and flax. New processing capacities remained underutilized with raw materials. A number of farms are still not stocked with livestock.

“I think you will have to work seriously to bring this program to its logical conclusion,” said Alexander Lukashenko.

Speaking about the Shklov region, the President drew attention to the fact that integration processes are underway in this region. There are 10 farms in the region, although in Soviet times there were about 30. “Chairman of the district executive committee, establish normal relations with 10 leaders and act, help each other,” Alexander Lukashenko directed.
The largest farms in the district are “Kupalovskoye” and the enterprises of the Presidential Administration “Alexandriyskoye” and “ASB-Agro Gorodets”.

Instructions to restore order at Kupalovsky, which in addition to the management company unites three more agricultural enterprises, were given a little over five years ago, the head of state recalled. “I know that there were a lot of controllers and inspectors here, but the systemic problems hardly got off the ground,” he noted.

In 2024 , compared to 2023, there is some growth in gross output, MILK and cattle. More haylage and grass feed have been prepared. However, we need to look not only at the indicators on paper, but also at the quality, the President noted. Indeed, even with such indicators, the mortality rate in all holding farms has almost doubled. There is a problem with personnel, there are not enough veterinary specialists, and debts are growing.

“After the first stage, which we then outlined, you were unable to find a profitable job. And a decent base has been created there,” the head of state concluded.

As for OJSC Alexandriyskoye, as the President noted, considerable resources have been invested in it (almost Br40 million for repayment of investment loans, purchase of grain, fertilizers and other purposes). And the problems are practically the same as those of “Kupalovsky”: a decrease in the number of poultry, a decrease in egg production, an increase in the death rate of cattle .


Meanwhile, the region has maintained a high culture of soil cultivation since Soviet times - the lands are cultivated in a way that is not everywhere, even in the western regions. In this regard, the head of state reasonably criticized the leaders of the Mogilev and MINSK regions: “Isachenko’s fields are not plowed. The same is true for the chairman of the Minsk regional executive committee - from Borisov to the Berezinsky Nature Reserve, the fields there are generally empty. The question arises, Leonid Konstantinovich (Hare - BELTA’s note), why are we doing land reclamation? They don’t plow up those fields that need to be plowed up today, that is, we are heroically growing through land reclamation and losing the same amount from those hectares that need to be plowed without land reclamation.”

The President instructed the heads of regional and district executive committees to ensure that all necessary areas are plowed.
Returning to the conversation about the development of Alexandrinsky, Alexander Lukashenko recalled that he instructed the Administration, together with scientists, to develop a clear and understandable concept of what to do next.

“This must be a specific, and most importantly, realistic action plan. With technological maps, well-developed tasks, and a detailed forecast of the prospects for the use of each field and processing facility,” the President emphasized.

On the inadmissibility of mistakes

As the head of state noted, all heads of agricultural enterprises in the Orsha and Shklov regions were specially invited to participate in the meeting. “It is necessary to discuss the details in great detail and make final decisions,” Alexander Lukashenko outlined the task.

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The President warned that there could be no mistakes in implementation: “Because this is a lot of money , and we don’t have any extra money.” The head of state emphasized that in the Orsha district, for example, agricultural complexes have been built, the experience of which can and should be replicated in this and the Shklov districts.

“There are these beginnings. We must go in this direction. We have already exhausted what lay on the surface, bringing in $8 billion in exports. This is a lot of money, no other industry provides so much. All this has been exhausted, we now need to deal with technology. And the technological and performance discipline is the main thing. If this doesn’t happen, there’s no point in investing money. Therefore, before asking for money, contact the banks , especially me, show that the invested ruble will yield 10 rubles in revenue,” Alexander Lukashenko directed.

On integration, consolidation of farms and discipline,

the Head of State drew attention to several fundamentally important aspects.


The first concerns the integration of agricultural producers. It needs to be continued, creating large companies with a full production cycle. “Where it is needed,” the President emphasized. “Where a separate farm like Gorodets, Gastellovskoye, Voskhod and others can operate, good farms, small ones, let them work.”
If the economy itself, in the process of development, comes to the point that it does not have enough land, then the state welcomes this. “Therefore, together with the governor, we are looking for free space to add to this farm and get a greater effect. We know what will happen there,” noted Alexander Lukashenko.



At the same time, the President warned against forcing consolidation. The decision must be made locally, based on the situation. “Don’t ruin it by joining some weak economy. These will be weights on the feet of the economy,” the head of state noted. “Honestly speaking, I am not a supporter of large farms. But I see that this is the trend. But there is no need to do anything artificially.”

“Be careful with integration,” the head of state summed up on this topic. “Be careful when uniting and separating farms. We must consult locally. We must take into account the experience of the past and the future.”

The second important aspect that the President spoke about is that consolidation should take place on the basis of strong farms with clear and understandable specialization.

Third: transformations should be implemented with strict adherence to all technologies, a raw material base worked out to the smallest detail and the strictest discipline.

Alexander Lukashenko emphasized that not only the chairmen of district executive committees and governors will be responsible for the result. “Each event, organization, field, farm and other objects of the program must be assigned specific officials of executive committees, ministries, government, the Presidential Administration, the Department of Affairs and the Academy of Sciences,” the head of state said.