The President of Belarus will be granted the exclusive right to make decisions on the allocation of agricultural land.

The Head of State recalled that not so long ago, powers in this area were transferred to the governors. The reason for making such a decision was that it allegedly took a significant amount of time to allocate plots when such a decision was made at the highest level. "Everyone was crying, shouting, groaning, suffering that it increased the time to allocate land for some construction and so on," the Head of State noted. To confirm his opinion, Alexander Lukashenko cited the following figures: in 2007, 362.6 hectares were withdrawn from agricultural land, and in 2008, after transferring powers to the governors, almost 1.5 thousand hectares, in 2009 – about 5.5 thousand hectares (of which about 4.3 thousand hectares were arable land), in 2010 – 2.3 thousand hectares. As of October 14, 2011, last year's figure has already been exceeded, with more than 2.5 thousand hectares withdrawn from agricultural land, including 1800 hectares of arable land. "Not just by a few times, but ten times more you have started to withdraw agricultural land every year and transfer it either for construction, or for quarries, or for something else," the President commented on the trend of recent years. "What kind of attitude is this? And, moreover, the principle is the same as last year and this year: 'but Vasya listens and eats'," the Head of State noted. Alexander Lukashenko warned that agricultural lands should not be treated so barbarically. He instructed the Committee of State Control and the Administration of the President to immediately conduct an analysis and report on the circumstances under which thousands of hectares of agricultural land were withdrawn. "I warned you: there can be no construction of farms on agricultural land. Demolish old farms and build new ones, or on wastelands," Alexander Lukashenko reminded. He also noted that agricultural lands can be allocated for housing construction only in exceptional cases. In his opinion, it is better to use vacant areas in settlements for this purpose or, in exceptional cases, "to attach household plots to villages for placing a residential building." It is also possible to allocate such lands for "super-investment projects." "Land should not be used for other purposes," Alexander Lukashenko emphasized, adding that "land that provides bread must provide bread," and it cannot be occupied for other purposes."Of course, in some cases, we will have to allocate agricultural land for certain facilities, but this will be tens, not thousands of hectares," Alexander Lukashenko is convinced. He believes that when the President made decisions on land allocation, there was no red tape or bureaucracy, and regarding the prolonged time required for approving decisions on land allocation by the head of state, Alexander Lukashenko assured: "We will condense this time." As noted in his report by the Chairman of the State Property Committee of Belarus, Georgy Kuznetsov, since 2008, when local authorities were granted the right to make decisions on the allocation of agricultural land, the area of land withdrawn has shown a tendency to grow. "There are objective reasons for this. These include the construction of the nuclear power plant in the Grodno region, the construction of roads, and the allocation of land for peat extraction," he noted. According to the Chairman of the State Property Committee, a draft decree has been prepared, which provides for the withdrawal and allocation of land plots from agricultural lands for purposes not related to their intended use, only with the consent of the President. He also proposed to coordinate the selection of land plots with the head of state before the development and approval of design documentation. The meeting also touched upon urban planning documents, which include, among other things, the agreed allocation of land from agricultural land. In this regard, Alexander Lukashenko gave an example: "Yes, I did approve the urban development plan for the development of Minsk. This was done to formalize and give force to this plan. I did not walk the steps myself. You were supposed to follow the ideology of land management everywhere and see at the expense of which lands Minsk would grow." "And here we still need to re-examine these plans. If these plans involve the withdrawal of agricultural land, then they must be marked with a red line. There should be no construction there before my approval, and most likely, there will not be," the head of state instructed. "Why don't you treat these lands with the same care as I do?" the President addressed the meeting participants with reproach. "You have started occupying these lands by hook or by crook." "If you wish, this is a crime. If we say that land is the highest value in the state, then perhaps it is not a big deal if this function, due to the failure of the governors, belongs to the President," Alexander Lukashenko emphasized.At the same time, he warned: "The requirements will be tightened to the point of impossibility. Frankly, do not even send me a request to transfer any agricultural land to your use for some kind of development." According to the President, this is possible only in exceptional cases. "If it's some kind of individual construction for a villager, where you need to cut 30 or 50 hundredths of a hectare, he will provide for himself on this land by working more efficiently, or sell something else. That is, the land will work for what it is intended to work for. But in no case should this land be given away for dachas, for all the rest. We still have enough places that we can offer people," emphasized Alexander Lukashenko. The Head of State also believes that it is necessary to revive the practice of compensating for losses in the event of the allocation of agricultural land. "We need to think about introducing a serious land fee. Pay good money, then we will talk with you. And even then, this land has no price," noted the Belarusian leader. "When they pay, they build faster," noted the Chairman of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee, Boris Batura. According to Alexander Lukashenko, the norm of returning the right to the President to make decisions on agricultural land should be perceived as prohibitive. "This is done because nothing more can be built on these lands. We'd better cut down forests and build something there. But we don't need forests, we need to cut down bushes and build anything. Put everything in order, prepare a draft decree according to what I said, and deal with personnel issues, this concerns the Presidential Administration," instructed Alexander Lukashenko. As for other land plots that can be used for construction, the President emphasized that in this matter, it is necessary to act without excessive bureaucratic delays. "Every inch of land must be sold to people, every one. And we must return to the requirement: you took a plot for construction – be so kind as to have a fence and a house built within three years." "If this norm is not currently in effect (we relaxed it due to the crisis), it must be reinstated. This needs to be regulated. Land was issued, three years – you must build the facility you ordered. If you haven't built it, the land must be confiscated. We need to establish order," demanded the Head of State.At the same time, the President noted that it is not about the need for 100% completion of construction: "We are not forcing it. Build the shell, bring the facade to a normal state, fence it off, tidy up the surroundings, and inside – for 10 years." The Head of State also instructed to sort out the deadlines for allocating plots for the construction of residential buildings. "There is a mess with land allocation and the resolution of other issues for construction. All this continues," the President noted. "People still complain that they go from office to office, beg, implore, and bribe. What is happening in Minsk is typical for others too, perhaps not to the same extent." "A person must receive all the permits for construction within the prescribed period. Remove these bureaucratic barriers. This hurts people the most," demanded Alexander Lukashenko. In general, according to the Chairman of the Committee of State Control Alexander Jakobson, violations in the alienation of agricultural land are not widespread. Mostly, they are committed by district executive committees with the connivance of regional executive committees. "Although, according to current legislation, they have no right to independently make decisions on the withdrawal of agricultural land," noted the Chairman of the CSC. In addition, Alexander Jakobson considers it necessary to conduct an inventory of approved urban planning documents in order to prevent the inefficient use of agricultural land. He cited the following fact: according to the law, general plans are not required to be coordinated with the State Property Committee and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Thus, the most interested ministry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, remained on the sidelines of these issues. "This is, of course, nonsense," stated Alexander Jakobson. Minister of Agriculture and Food Mikhail Rusiy proposed to build up vacant "spots" in villages first, without extending new construction beyond the settlement. "Villages are coming back to life, lands are being put in order. A person already has electricity, a road is connected," the minister noted, speaking about the advantages of this approach. "A decree must be adopted before November 1," stated Alexander Lukashenko. At the same time, he instructed the Chairman of the CSC to re-examine the situation with urban planning documents, especially in Minsk.Also, the issue of seizing ownerless houses was raised at the meeting. Currently, this procedure is very lengthy and takes about two years. The meeting participants and the Head of State agreed that it is necessary to legally expedite these procedures. The second part of the meeting was devoted not only to land issues but also to the completion of the harvest and fodder procurement, the situation on the consumer market, food prices, and the problem of their export outside the republic. Regional heads informed the Head of State about the situation on the ground and the measures being taken. According to Mikhail Rusy, product sales both to the domestic market and abroad are going well. The only problem is that compared to last year, potato sales for export have slightly decreased. "But demand has picked up," the minister noted. Issues of supplying the population with meat and dairy products are also being promptly resolved, and the necessary amount of vegetables has been laid in the stabilization funds. "There are no problems with dairy products; warehouses have the volume required for the security of the domestic market," Mikhail Rusy informed. The Head of State was also interested in the situation on the consumer market. As the Mayor of Minsk, Nikolai Ladutko, noted, the republican fairs, where products can be purchased 20-30% cheaper, have played a positive role here. "This is a very good thing. In Minsk and in the regional centers, it should be done everywhere. The main thing is that if you have something to sell, please bring it to the center of Minsk. And it is profitable for people. Fairs should be continued as long as it is possible," the President believes. The Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee informed that agricultural product fairs are also organized abroad, particularly in Russia. "This Saturday, we were already in Moscow and set up a fair. We recently visited Kaluga and St. Petersburg," he noted. "It is a great thing when you go directly to the buyer in Russia and sell your products there at the price you want. We need to take advantage of this. All regions need to be involved in this, and Gomel, Mogilev, and Vitebsk regions are divinely ordained to do so," Alexander Lukashenko remarked. Speaking about the issues in the consumer market, the Chairman of the Grodno Regional Executive Committee, Semyon Shapiro, noted that the issue of baby food is currently being resolved. "Exports across the border have increased. The Prime Minister has instructed us to resolve this issue within 3-4 days. We are reluctant to raise prices, as these are, after all, nursing mothers. There are occasional shortages of certain types of meat products. But this is not systemic," he noted. There are no problems with food supplies in Minsk either; an increase in the range of certain product groups is even noted, reported Nikolai Ladutko. The President has instructed that a full economic analysis of the regions' performance be prepared for him by the end of the year. According to the Head of State, it is the development of the weakest regions that is an indicator of the governors' performance efficiency. He also once again emphasized the need for the priority development of import-substituting and export-oriented projects. Alexander Lukashenko also inquired about the situation with the export of Belarusian agricultural products abroad. "In the last month, exports have sharply decreased due to price increases," reported the Chairman of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee, Vladimir Dvornik. According to him, currently, prices in Belarus for dairy products are 20-30% lower compared to Russia. And when compared with Ukraine, prices for some items are twice as low. Measures are also being taken in the region to protect the population amidst rising prices. Trade unions, enterprises, social services, and executive committees are focused on supporting low-income citizens. The information that exports have decreased was also confirmed by the Governor of the Vitebsk Region, Alexander Kosinets: "The price increase, we raised them by 30-40% (while simultaneously increasing wage growth), has yielded results. We compare ourselves with the Russian Federation on many items. The dynamics are positive." The Governor of the Mogilev Region, Petr Rudnik, stated: "As for the eastern regions, exports have sharply decreased in the last month." According to him, price increases and a number of other factors contributed to this. "The dynamic is that these exports have fallen," concluded the Head of State. However, as the Chairman of the State Control Committee, Alexander Jacobson, noted, solving the problem of product export led to the emergence of another issue. "Regions bordering Russia have been increasing prices in their markets at a somewhat faster pace than, for example, in Minsk. And today, a pack of butter, let's say, is one and a half times cheaper in Minsk than in the regions," he noted. "Keep in mind that the dollar exchange rate will not be like this. We will combine both sessions into one in a few days, and this dollar exchange rate will collapse. To be frank, we have been supporting a high dollar exchange rate by not interfering, by acting carefully," the head of state stated. "I see who is placing orders for these dollars, for foreign currency. These are mainly so-called individual entrepreneurs and those who import non-critical goods. So why should we sell them dollars cheaply? But the main thing is that enterprises are not selling currency now; they are waiting for a single exchange rate, whatever it turns out to be. And as soon as all this cash, dollars and euros, which we are currently allocating for gas purchases and so on, is released onto the market, the supply of dollars will be very high," Alexander Lukashenko noted. "And when there is a single exchange rate, an enterprise will necessarily sell 30% [of its currency earnings]. If sold at this price, then it will be possible to buy currency at the same price, and the exchange rate will be completely different." "Therefore, this must also be taken into account, rather than adapting to the exchange rate of 8 or 9 thousand today," the Belarusian leader warned. Regarding the write-off of debts for enterprises, the head of state once again stated his firm position on this issue: "If I start making such concessions after this financial mess, count on it that in 2-3 years we will return to the same point. There must be iron financial discipline." One of the main topics of the second part of the meeting was the efficiency of peasant labor. Participants in the meeting sometimes argued with each other, justifying their positions. The Governor of the Vitebsk region is convinced that the efficiency of milk production in the region will sharply increase after small farms (100-150 head) are eliminated and cattle are transferred to large farms (1000 head or more). The Governor of the Gomel region shared his vision of how to obtain high-protein feed with maximum efficiency – a pressing issue for the entire agricultural sector. The Chairman of the Minsk Regional Executive Committee, Boris Batura, raised the issue of the absence of a unified methodology for calculating the efficiency of agricultural work.of the economy. Having heard the arguments of the governor, as well as some objections on this issue from the head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Vice-Premier Valery Ivanov, the President agreed with the need to amend the existing practice. "We need to systematize this. We will do it," he said. In conclusion, the President asked that the issues discussed at the meeting, including in its second part, not just be monitored, but be resolved. "We need to work with people. This situation is temporary. We can resolve this situation calmly before the New Year," the head of state is confident. At the same time, Alexander Lukashenko noted that one should not look only at the situation in the republic: "Look at what is happening around. Europe was rich, everything was fine, but we lived on credit, and a decent credit at that, and we are poor against their background. But we lived by the labor of our own hands." Now, according to the President, problems have emerged in many European countries, not just in Greece. "Today, more efficient and advanced Italy, Spain, Portugal are in flames. Okay, they were talked about too. But what happened in America on Wall Street, what happened in Great Britain? The second wave has begun," the Belarusian leader stated. "Many say: prices, prices are rising, let's clamp down. This should not be done under any circumstances now. Yes, we need to control it so that there is no 'excess', but it's not even about 'excess' for us. Prices are at a level where they have already hit consumer demand. Prices cannot rise any further," the head of state noted. "We are, in fact, living in a kind of boom-crisis world, if you look at the world around. And what we have gone through is a plus for us. We have already gone through it. Our people have already gone through it, they have endured it, they have tolerated it. They will have to go through it. We will not get through it without costs, as we can see," the President admitted. "Well, yes, we can stop prices tomorrow. And what are the prices for milk, meat? This is the salary of the peasants. And we have actually equalized them for the first time. You don't need to present claims to me anymore regarding any price factor. Yes, there might be some beef somewhere – but that's trivial. And whoever does not take advantage of the current situation, I mean the peasants, will be in trouble. And Mikhail Rusy is already saying that the situation with loan repayments is more or less normal. That is, we have given our producers the opportunity to cope with this indebtedness. This is also a great thing," the Belarusian leader emphasized."But there is a strong desire to incite people to overthrow the country. The first attempt, the so-called "people's assembly," didn't work, with only 120 people gathered. People understand this, but we must show them a perspective. They need to see that while everything can be tightened and restricted now, tomorrow the shelves will be empty. This must not be done under any circumstances," believes Alexander Lukashenko. Addressing the heads of regions, the President urged them to address the issue of improving citizens' well-being not only at the presidential level: "Let's not only increase it by decree at my level, but also there, on the ground. You know better whom to support. And make the directors ensure that they support their workers during this time, depending on labor productivity." The President also emphasized that the course of action has been determined. "We have a thousand options on how to proceed. We have chosen these options. We are not given others today," concluded Alexander Lukashenko. -0-

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