On July 20, Postavy /BelTA correspondent/. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has given the Vitebsk region one year to make its agriculture profitable. The head of state set this task during a working trip to the region, BelTA correspondent reports. "This is your last year struggling. Next year: if it's profitable, you're right, if not, you're accountable," the President said, addressing the region's governor, Alexander Kosinets. The head of state stressed that the Vitebsk region must identify the optimal agricultural crops for cultivation in the region. According to Alexander Lukashenko, farm managers know which crops yield the maximum return on their land. Governors should focus on this information, rather than being given top-down plans for cultivating a particular crop. "Otherwise, when there's an order from above to produce 2 million tons, it will result in a 20% loss in profitability, and then it will all be factored into poultry, pork, and there will be no profitability at all," the President explained. "Grain crops must be sown wisely. I believe that here, in the north of the country, there are only a few fields where grain can be sown and profitable yields obtained," the head of state said. "Why cultivate unprofitable crops?" he added. Alexander Lukashenko also touched upon the issue of cattle grazing in floodplains. In his opinion, insufficient attention is paid to this in the Vitebsk region. "The Vitebsk region is lagging behind in this regard today. Flying over, I didn't see a single herd grazing in the floodplain, as we agreed. The Pripyat River is nowhere near these lands," the head of state said. He emphasized that the region's prospect lies in beef production, while focusing on other types of livestock farming will not yield the desired returns and will mainly be unprofitable without state support. Furthermore, the President drew attention to the weak application of intensive crop cultivation technologies in the Vitebsk region. Minister of Agriculture and Food Mikhail Rusiy reported to the head of state on the start and specifics of the grain harvest, both for the country as a whole and for the Vitebsk region, and specifically for the Postavy district. According to him, all regions have started the grain harvest as of today. Equipment is ready for the harvesting campaign and has been deployed to the fields, and grain drying complexes have been prepared. Alexander Lukashenko instructed to intensify the grain harvesting process while the weather is favorable.