Natalia Kochanova visited Dokshytsy District on a working visit

During her visit to Dokshytsy District, Chairperson of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, Natalya Kochanova, visited the local bakery and learned about how the region is addressing the issue of vacant houses. In the village of Svirki, Dokshytsy District, 2.2 hectares of land, freed up after the demolition of vacant housing, were brought into agricultural circulation this year.

There are 34 houses left in the village, with 19 of them permanently inhabited by local residents, predominantly pensioners. Five houses are used as dachas. This year, employees of Dokshytsy Rayagroservice demolished vacant houses on six plots and brought a total of 2.2 hectares of land into circulation. Agricultural crops have already been sown here. Valery Naumchik noted that work with vacant houses is ongoing.

Chairperson of the Council of the Republic, Natalya Kochanova, who visited the settlement, inquired about other ways the freed-up land is being used besides agricultural circulation. Valery Naumchik, Chairman of the Parafyanovo Village Council, explained that additional plots are offered to local residents wishing to expand their land holdings, and information is also posted on the village council's website so that anyone can purchase plots for construction or for subsidiary farming.

Thanks to Decree No. 116 "On the alienation of residential houses in rural areas and the improvement of work with vacant houses," local authorities can carry out such work in shorter timeframes. As noted by Vladimir Terentyev, head of the Vitebsk region's parliamentary corps, in the few months of last year, since the decree came into force, the region's budget received over Br68 thousand from the sale of vacant houses.

Natalya Kochanova emphasized that one of the trends among the younger generation is to return to their small homeland, to buy land plots not for farming, but for recreation in a comfortable house with all amenities. Villages like Svirki can become an attractive place for young families, where it is quite budget-friendly to build a summer house.

Regarding plots whose owners are single or reside in, for example, boarding houses, the upkeep is supervised by assigned organisations. In particular, in Svirki, the village is mowed and landscaped by employees of the Parafyanovo Secondary School. Local residents take care of their own plots.

Chairperson of the Council of the Republic, Natalya Kochanova, also visited the Parafyanovo Secondary School in the Dokshytsy District, where she presented the educational institution with sets for physical education classes and other gifts.

For the schoolchildren, the Chairperson of the Council of the Republic brought sports balls, tents, and a certificate for the purchase of an acoustic system. Natalya Kochanova communicated with the children, inquired about their academic achievements, hobbies, and plans for entering higher and secondary vocational education institutions. The students said that almost all of them live in the same settlement where the school is located, and children from neighbouring villages are brought by bus. The eleventh-graders noted that they have already decided on their future profession and are purposefully working towards admission. The places of study will be the capital or regional centres.

The school has vocational classes, and girls attend electives in labour training. Parafyanovo schoolgirls are attracted to various types of needlework and applied arts, including those that combine folk crafts such as straw weaving and embroidery. Some girls presented their works, and Natalya Kochanova noted their high level of skill.

The educational institution is also implementing the "School Garden" project. As the school principal, Viktor Korostik, explained, this project helps to familiarise rural children with the possibilities of agribusiness. In labour classes, students, under the guidance of teachers, not only learn methods of growing high-yield crops but also grasp the basics of entrepreneurship in agriculture. What varieties of vegetables are best suited for the area, how to create the most favourable conditions for agricultural crops, where to find markets for the produced goods – such knowledge can become a good foundation for young residents of the district to start their own businesses.

Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by