Lukashenko demanded unconditional implementation of planned investment projects to construct dairy farms

During today’s meeting focusing on rural development and increasing agricultural efficiency, the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, demanded to ensure the unconditional implementation of the planned investment projects for the construction of dairy farms

photo: www.president.gov.by

The President called it unacceptable when processors take out loans, advancing money to villages for years to come, “It turns out this is not a business, but a social project. In these conditions, profitability in rural areas will never reach double digits and people will never have decent salaries despite the fact every controller indicates that enterprises are underutilised with domestic raw materials. With such demand, farms should feel like bees in clover rather than ask for money in order to pay salary advances. This means we need to break the scheme. Lands and resources of unprofitable farms should be fully transferred to strong farms using the scheme of enlarged commodity and raw materials facilities. Modern large-scale dairy and pig breeding complexes should be built at the newly created enterprises.”

In this regard, the Head of State cited already modernised facilities with their own raw material base as an example.

“Last year they received half a tonne more milk than the average countrywide level, and the number of such enterprises is growing. Cows must be kept in proper conditions. We need to get away from run-down farms, and the sooner the better. We’re just killing cattle there. It is necessary to milk cows as they should be at new dairy complexes. The developed strategy for enlargement was chosen correctly, and this work needs to be completed by 2030. I instruct the Government and regional executive committees to ensure the unconditional implementation of planned investment projects for the construction of dairy complexes, the growth of a dairy herd with high productivity (not less than 6.5 tonnes per cow) and the growth of milk production of at least 9 million tonnes per year,” Aleksandr Lukashenko demanded.