24 September, Lida /Elena Stasyukevich - BELTA/. The average wage in rural areas should rise to $750 in the next five-year period. This was stated by the Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus, Ivan Bambiza, in response to a question from a BELTA correspondent at the republican festival-fair of agricultural workers "Dazhynki-2010" in Lida. He noted that the participants of this year's harvest campaign coped with the task set before them with dignity, despite the challenging weather conditions. The harvest was completed in the shortest possible time, with over 7 million tonnes of grain threshed, which will allow for self-sufficiency and sharing with neighbours. "It is difficult to assign first, second, and third places among the competition leaders; they all worked excellently and deserve sincere gratitude," the Deputy Prime Minister noted. He added that whatever gifts are given to the heroes of "Dazhynki", they are insufficient. The best reward for the workers will be the country's economic achievements. "If we annually improve the well-being of every resident of the republic, that will be the best gift," he emphasised. According to Ivan Bambiza, significant results have been achieved in various indicators in the development of the country's agro-industrial complex over the past five years. More than 50 new enterprises have been created in the agricultural sector alone, over 100,000 dairy farms and 60 poultry farms have been re-equipped, and over 10,000 grain harvesters, 16,000 tractors, and other machinery have been purchased. The re-equipment of enterprises in various sectors continues. Exports of products have increased, and results have also been achieved in the social sphere in rural areas. The state programme being developed for 2011-2015 will be based on improving people's well-being. Among the main tasks are solving economic problems and increasing the efficiency of rural management, the Deputy Prime Minister noted. -0-

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