Income from extra-budgetary activities of boarding schools in the Vitebsk region increased by 9% in 2020.

Revenues from off-budget activities of nursing homes in the Vitebsk region increased by 9.1% in 2020 compared to 2019, as reported to a BELTA correspondent by Vera Astapenko, Deputy Chairperson of the Committee for Labour, Employment and Social Protection of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee.

In nursing homes in the Vitebsk region, residents produce goods during vocational therapy classes both for the needs of social service institutions and for sale to organisations in the region and to the public. Vera Astapenko provided examples of how residents of these institutions are involved in crop production, animal husbandry, and the manufacturing of goods necessary for daily life and household management.

The Dunilovichi Psychoneurological Nursing Home in the Postavy District is home to 180 people. The products they produce are then sold through retail outlets and at fairs. These are mainly agricultural products. In 2020, over 80 tonnes of vegetables were harvested here and sold for over Br90,000, which is almost 30% more than in 2019, when the income from the sale of vegetable products amounted to over Br68,000. The nursing home's farm also raises cattle. Last year, the social service institution sold meat products for over Br26,000 (in 2019 – over Br8,400).

"In total, off-budget activities generated approximately Br120,000 in 2020, compared to almost Br80,000 in 2019. The profit growth rate was 149%. Our institution has two cellars for storing the harvested vegetable crops at a constant temperature. We currently have a stock of 1.7 tonnes of beetroot, 11 tonnes of potatoes, 2.6 tonnes of pickled carrots, 280 kg of sauerkraut, and 150 kg of preserved tomatoes. The nursing home fully provides itself with vegetables from harvest to harvest," said Oleg Dorofeyev, the institution's director.

Other nursing homes in the Vitebsk region are also focusing on agricultural production. The Glubokoye psycho-neurological nursing home for the elderly and disabled derives the main part of its income from the sale of its own agricultural products. In 2020 alone, they harvested over 100 tonnes of potatoes. This year, the social service institution has increased the area for this crop from 7 to 10 hectares, and by 2023, they plan to expand the plot to 15 hectares. This spring, they also prepared 150 litres of sorrel from the new harvest. For vitamin enrichment of residents, over 300 kg of green onions and 200 kg of lettuce were served. Drying rooms are being prepared for the production of dried fruits. In 2020, the nursing home prepared over 2 tonnes of dried fruits, and by the beginning of June, there were still over 300 kg, which is sufficient until the new harvest.

The Aleksandrovskoye psycho-neurological nursing home for the elderly and disabled in the Sharkovshchyna district is engaged in crop production, sheep breeding, and manufactures paving slabs, tactile tiles, and attachments for agricultural machinery for its own subsidiary farm. The institution has over 100 hectares of land at its disposal for growing vegetables. Environmentally friendly products are produced for internal needs and for sale to organisations and the public. The funds raised were used to purchase new agricultural units and a sawmill for the nursing home.

Source: belta.by