Pilipuk: mutual interest between Belarus and FAO in the implementation of joint projects

Belarus’ Agriculture and Food Minister Sergei Bartosh held an online meeting with FAO Regional Programme Leader for Europe and Central Asia Raimund Jehle. The head of the department underlined that Belarus makes a significant contribution to ensuring food security in the world and in the Eurasian region, promoting its own positive experience: a self-sufficient and food independent country in the international arena.

Participants in the online meeting discussed issues of resuming active co-operation between Belarus and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in the field of agriculture, while also identifying further promising areas of joint work.

The coronavirus pandemic has served as a deterrent to strengthening fruitful interaction on a range of important issues. Sergei Bartosh spoke about this, Raimund Jehle agreed, stressing the interest in restoring previously the achieved results. He accepted the invitation of the head of the Belarusian department to visit our country in the near future.

According to the Director of the Institute of System Research in the Agro-Industrial Complex of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Andrei Pilipuk, who took part in the online meeting, mutual interest can be seen in the implementation of joint projects, particularly, the expansion of opportunities for assessing agricultural heritage systems and their role in the social development of rural areas.

“To find new approaches to promoting Belarusian food products on the world market, a project is being elaborated to develop a system of protected geographical names. This will expand the possibilities for positioning original Belarusian products in new export markets, stressing their unique production methods and technologies, high quality and natural composition,” noted Andrei Pilipuk.

During the online meeting, special attention was paid to the study of new opportunities dealing with the development of digital technologies in agriculture based on the existing innovation infrastructure in our country, namely agro-technoparks, entrepreneurship support centres, business incubators, information and analytical online platforms.

“The key task is to adapt in the interest of Belarus’ agro-industrial complex and to apply the best effective mechanisms, technologies and practices used in foreign countries, which, of course, will help strengthen the image of our country in the system of interaction with friendly international structures (FAO, UN),” added Andrei Pilipuk.