Preparing answers takes up to 60% of working time. Belstat about the problem of unsystematic requests

Inna Medvedeva April 16, MINSK . Answering unsystematic requests for information, including those received by agricultural organizations, takes up to 60% of the working time of a number of specialists. Chairman of the National Statistical Committee Inna Medvedeva stated this to the President of Belarus on agricultural issues, BELTA correspondent reports.
“The entrenched practice of unsystematic requests for information does not help to make work easier. Preparing answers takes up to 60% of the working time of specialists from district executive committees, accountants and economists of organizations,” said Inna Medvedeva. She stressed the need to radically reduce such requests.

The President also drew attention to the problem during the meeting. He named bureaucracy and huge unnecessary paperwork as one of the factors that holds back the agro-industrial complex as a whole. “Concerns request information for themselves, the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Agricultural Products, District Agricultural Products, regulatory and law enforcement agencies - for themselves. Everyone requests information,” ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO critically noted . “One organization accounts for up to 70 requests per month!”

The HEAD of state emphasized that the process could and should be centrally automated for a long time.
The head of Belstat also spoke at the meeting about the most problematic issues of agricultural development. One of them is staffing in the agricultural sector, which is also related to the level of wages. Some organizations invite specialists to pay a salary that is a quarter lower than the industry as a whole. “Organizations invite veterinarians and livestock breeders, field farmers, tractor drivers and economists for a salary of Br600-800,” stated Inna Medvedeva. “It is obvious that under such conditions these vacancies will remain unfilled.”

She also drew attention to the existing facts of improper maintenance of animals, failure to implement rearing and feeding technologies, and careless attitude to technology.

Inna Medvedeva noted that a third of the domestic market’s demand for vegetables is met through imports. As for the cultivation of cucumbers, as part of the implementation of the order to increase the production of greenhouse vegetables in the first quarter of this year, almost the full demand of the domestic market was met. At the same time, the share of domestic greenhouse tomatoes, although increased, made up an insignificant part of retail sales.

As for livestock farming, in this area in 2023 and the first quarter of this year there is an increase in production. “The unconditional driver is MILK production . But in this direction, half of the organizations, due to lack of funds, have problems with increasing the number of cows and their productivity,” Inna Medvedeva stated another problematic aspect.

She also pointed out a number of omissions in the issues of restoring cattle production and ensuring the safety of livestock, and some problematic issues in pig and poultry farming.

“Creating comfortable living conditions in rural areas, retaining specialists, providing the domestic market with high-quality and tasty food products, and continuing to increase the country’s EXPORT potential depend on putting things in order in agricultural organizations and increasing the efficiency of their work,” Inna Medvedeva emphasized.