"There must be iron discipline." Why land reclamation is a fundamental issue for Lukashenko

ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO during a working trip to the Vetkovsky district, April 2023. Alexander Lukashenko during a plenary session of the republican seminar-meeting on the restoration and use of reclaimed lands, November 2022. Alexander Lukashenko during a working trip to the Vetkovsky district, April 2023. Alexander Lukashenko during the plenary session of the republican seminar-meeting on the restoration and use of reclaimed lands, November 2022 123 Topic news

They say that land reclamation is an endless process. As soon as a person takes a break, nature will instantly take its toll... In the new episode of the YouTube project “In fact: decisions of the First” we will tell you why Belarusians are literally people in a swamp, what the President of Belarus considers a sacred duty of the state and whether land reclamation has justified itself in our country?

When did land reclamation begin in Belarus?

it is difficult to name the date when the first attempt at land reclamation on the territory of Belarus took place. There is evidence that back in the second half of the 18th century, estates were built on drained lands in Polesie. In the 1860s, in Gorki, swamp drainage technologies began to be studied in more detail. After a while, the All-Union Institute of Swamp Management was located here. Serious work began in the 70s of the last century and continued for almost two decades. In terms of scale and significance for Belarus, the project can be compared with the USSR electrification program.

“This is the best project of the Soviet government in the entire history here in Belarus. And they did the right thing in coming here. Talk about how “allegedly in Soviet times we in vain got into the nature of Polesie, drained and re-drained” is tantamount to unreasonably intimidating people with the consequences of the Chernobyl tragedy. The authors of this idea are those who do not need cheap competitive products in the center of Europe, which can actually be produced on restored lands," - this is how in 2004, during a visit to the Polesie agricultural complex in the Pinsk region, Alexander Lukashenko explained the need for land reclamation.

Screenshot of BELTA video

The decision of the HEAD of state is not to abandon lands that can be restored. Taking into account new knowledge, technologies, personnel, we can get what we did not get in Soviet times. In 2008, the Law “On Land Reclamation” appeared. The state began to allocate money . We began to study advanced foreign developments and purchase special equipment.

“This is one of the areas of the state program that we approved. We will finance it. This is a state matter. We will revive those enterprises that have been and will be engaged in land reclamation. But where we have carried it out, then for the operation of these canals, systems and "We will ask the heads of enterprises in full for sections of fields. At least you already know me well, I will not allow what was done under my supervision to be overgrown with weeds and trees. By the way, you have this on the canals. Now we are uprooting everything," - the President of Belarus declared the inadmissibility of mismanagement of reclaimed lands in 2005 at an on-site republican seminar in Drogichin on the implementation of the State Program for Rural Revival and Development for 2005-2010.

Screenshot of BELTA video

How reclaimed land is used in Belarus

Today, the area of ​​reclaimed land accounts for 37% of all farmland. This is almost 3 million hectares. Most of them are in the Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel and MINSK regions. That is, more than a third of agricultural products, including more than half of the feed needed for livestock farming, are produced on these lands. If we weren't watching our step, we wouldn't have so much MEAT or MILK.

“The decision to maintain the reclamation complex in good condition is the only right decision for Belarus. Not only food security, but also the social sphere depends on it. This affects the availability of jobs, roads, communications. In our country, part of the crop production is the basis for livestock farming, which allows increasing the EXPORT of products. Preservation of the reclamation complex is equivalent to economic development and socially prosperous conditions in large regions of the country," said Alexander Anzhenkov, DIRECTOR of the Institute of Land Reclamation of the Scientific and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for Agriculture.

“If we take the Brest region, then 80% of the territory of Polesie - Pinsk, Stolin districts - were swamps. And now there are powerful farms here, some of the best in the republic. An example is a farm like Parokhonskoye, whose territory is 24 thousand hectares. Even this farm has equipment and its own systems for reclamation work. Thanks to reclamation, the Brest region has turned from a depressed region into one of the best in the republic," said the head of the department of reclamation and radiology of the main department of investment, construction and reclamation of the Ministry of Agriculture and food of Belarus Sergei Nazaruk.

Sergey Nazaruk. Screenshot of BELTA video

This is about the question of why land reclamation is needed and why Alexander Lukashenko demands it. Moreover, the President knows the process from the inside; he himself told how during his student years he worked in a student brigade specifically on land reclamation.

“This is not a very common job. In my opinion, they worked in the Klimovichi region... This is a lot of experience. I know land reclamation well. <...> Agriculture is developing, I’m glad that they don’t have enough land. Therefore, it is necessary to reclaim, taking into account the old experience, approach it smartly, head-on (not like it was before, when everything was drained). We need to restore what was, and somewhere grab several thousand hectares of land from nature in order to further develop agriculture... Land reclamation - it was a good experience,” the head of state shared his memories of working in the student team during a meeting with youth activists in October this year.

How the Belarusian reclamation complex is developing

The country has preserved the reclamation complex, there are design organizations, a research institute, and the education system trains specialists in the required profile. The necessary equipment is also available. "Amkodor-KEZ" is the only enterprise both in Belarus and in the post-Soviet space that produces land reclamation machines, excavators, trenchers, bulldozers and much more.

“We made a decision to restore all reclamation systems and carry out a large range of reclamation work. Now we have experience, from equipment to the price of this or that event,” the Belarusian leader noted during a meeting with the governor of the Kaliningrad region Nikolai Tsukanov in 2014 . “You can use this experience if you need. We can help not only with equipment, but also transfer experience in land reclamation in practice, because without land reclamation there can be no agriculture in the Kaliningrad region.”

“If we talk about scientific cooperation, then our traditional partner is RUSSIA . Cooperation is due to the presence of similar soils, which exist both in Russia and in Belarus. In addition, some Russian scientists come from Belarus. But we do not forget about the other republics "Personal meetings and conferences are being held with Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan. We cooperate with these republics on closed drainage, polymers, and diagnostics," said Alexander Anzhenkov.

Alexander Anzhenkov. Screenshot of BELTA video

Everything that happens on earth is under the control of scientists. The Institute of Land Reclamation, which provides scientific support for land reclamation work, has been preserved within the Academy of Sciences system. There are almost 3 million drying and drying-humidifying systems in Belarus. They need to be maintained, repaired, modernized.

"The work that our reclamation workers carry out is related to land improvement. We need to make sure that the lands are suitable for agricultural use. This work is complex and hard. The fleet of equipment is very large - about 6.5 thousand units. Taking into account the instructions of the head of state, We are updating our equipment. We are purchasing equipment that will allow us to carry out work in greater quantities and with proper quality,” said Sergei Nazaruk.

What funds does the state allocate for land reclamation?

In 2021, more than Br200 million was allocated from the budget for land reclamation. In the past, almost Br300 million. For 2023, the volumes have almost doubled. Enormous efforts and resources have been invested in land reclamation. Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly spoken about this. And we are talking not only about draining swamps, but about farming culture in general. If there is no order and discipline, you will quickly get stuck in the swamp of mismanagement.

"Unsightly examples continue to emerge absolutely. At the same time, I must say that all PMCs, I am absolutely convinced, know how to do quality work. Do it. Mobilize people. Without iron discipline and order, you will not do anything. And of course, today it is difficult to force people with a fist to work - people need to be paid. Both to pay normally and to help. People are ready to work for good money. But the top of all outrages is the disgusting use of reclaimed lands after their reconstruction," the President again called on officials to properly treat reclaimed lands during the working trips to Tolochinsky district in November 2022.

“The peculiarity of the reclamation complex is its large area. It covers the entire republic. There is not a single area where there is no reclaimed land. The main difficulty is the need for equipment, resource-saving technologies that allow maintaining and restoring reclamation systems at a reasonable cost. In the near future years, it is planned to fulfill the order of the head of state to reconstruct 110 thousand hectares of reclamation systems,” said Alexander Anzhenkov.

What technologies are used in land reclamation

Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting with activists of the Gomel region, April 2023.

Reclamation is not only about drainage. The industry is introducing new technologies that will contribute to the conservation of water resources. For example, in the Pinsk region this year they are implementing a unique project to reconstruct the drainage system and convert it into a drying-humidifying system. The idea is to retain as much moisture as possible in the fields and use it when surface precipitation is insufficient. Experts plan to retain moisture and supply it at the right time using special wells that are built in front of rivers and large canals of reclamation systems.

“The money now invested in land reclamation must be spent effectively, and in the future it must be monitored. So that we, having invested the money... And our children then again do not start this work again. There must be iron discipline. We must support it. These are golden lands,” said the head of state. during a working trip to the Vetkovsky district in April of this year.

“Initially in Belarus there were about 8 million hectares of waterlogged wetlands. These are not only lands that were not used in economic circulation, but also social and logistical problems. Therefore, the reclamation of 3 million hectares not only made it possible to ensure food security and increase exports, but also to ensure socially acceptable standard of living in waterlogged regions,” said Alexander Anzhenkov.

If desired, the swamp can also be turned into golden lands. But to stand firmly on your feet, you need to make an effort.