Key takeaways from discussion of harvesting issues hosted by Lukashenko
There are no major problems with the ongoing harvesting effort, yet good management is a must, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during a hybrid meeting on 19 July, BelTA has learned.
“I don’t see big problems. We just need good management. Authorized representatives will assess the situation on the ground today or tomorrow. Their decision is the final decision. If something needs to be decided, they will contact me. We will make a decision within a few hours,” said the head of state.
He also emphasized the importance of paying decent salaries. “Pay people. It will pay off. Support people who are trying hard and working well today,” Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked.
The president urged to observe all technological procedures. “Compliance with technology is a number one task. This is particularly relevant for eastern regions. Yet, every region has enterprises where this is an issue. Technology is at the heart of everything, as well as discipline. We don’t need anything else this year. Iron discipline and compliance with technology. This is the main thing,” he said.
The head of state remarked that the conversation about harvest primarily concerns grain given the current weather conditions.
“Well, we should not forget about grass feed, either. There is a lot of overlapping. And we need to sow. Literally in a week we need to start sowing winter rapeseed and then winter barley. Therefore, grain should be harvested in time,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.
Commenting on the weather, the head of state remarked that some “great forecasters” were mistaken when in the spring they predicted a dry summer. “I said back then that there would be both wet and dry periods. The same weather pattern will continue throughout August. Now we are heading for a relatively dry period. I see this from satellite images. It will rain in some places, but it will not impede the harvesting effort. There will be more dry and sunny days. We need to make the most of this period,” the president noted.
“Thank God, we have enough moisture this year. It’s easier to plow. You remember how we plowed last year, when plowing raised swirls of dust on the fields. It was impossible to plow. The soil was dry like stone. Now you can plow pretty easily. But everything should be done in time,” the head of state said.
In this regard, he drew attention to the ongoing problem with drowned-out spots on the fields, which is still a problem in Brest Oblast and Grodno Oblast. “We agreed that today we need to buy crawler tractors with deep rippers to deal with this problem. We need to plow deeper. Maybe we will be able to remove these spots from the fields. The area of drowned-out spots is as big as the area of the land we reclaim every year. You fail here because of bad farming practices,” the Belarusian leader noted.
The president also gave instructions related to flax harvesting, as flax is a political crop in Belarus (flax flowers are featured on the country’s coat of arms).
The head of state recommended increasing the area under legumes that will be used as fodder. This includes alfalfa, clover, peas and lupine, Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked. “We need to return to what we once did. We need to increase the production of protein crops, including fodder crops. We need to buy alfalfa seeds and expand the area under this plant. This will all pay off. And if we purchase it in bulk from Russia or elsewhere, we will get a reasonable price for these seeds,” he said.
“In fact, we are doing quite well so far considering that we are in a risky farming zone. We shouldn't wait for perfect conditions. There won't be any and there have never been. It will be either very dry or very wet. By and large, this year is not bad for us. Moisture has never hurt our agriculture,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.