News & Highlights
State and Perspectives of Development of Farm Enterprises Have Been Discussed During the Republican Meeting under the Chairmanship of Valery Ivanov
The Republican meeting on the problems of farm enterprises under the chairmanship of Valery Ivanov, Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus took place on January 5, 2011 in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Belarus.
Representatives of the Belarusian Parliament, Presidential Administration, ministers and authorities, public associations and farm and peasant enterprises took part in the Meeting.
 Mikhail Rusy, Minister of Agriculture and Food, noted that in the Republic of Belarus over 2011-2015 there should be created the innovative base of producers of all types of agricultural products. Mikhail Rusy brought into focus that the agro-industrial complex is transforming into a branch being the substantial deliveror of hard currency for the state. In Belarus there were developed and adopted 17 programmes in the sphere of agriculture for the current five-year plan.
The Minister noted that the approved that Directive #4 on the development of entrepreneurship activity and stimulation of business activity will promote the solution of problems of farmers concerning the rental lease of idle premises and buildings, facilitation of land problems, affordability of credit resources, as well as access to market channels.
According to the Minister, the Programme of Development and Support of Peasant (Farm) Holdings for 2011-2015, which will be approved in the nearest future, is drafted to solve the problems of farm holdings.
In her turn, Nadezhda Kotkovets, the First Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food, declared that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Belarus supports the initiative of farmers on the creation of the Republican organization of farm holdings.
 Nadezhda Kotkovets mark the necessity of adoption statute of the future organization and preparation of all required documents. Such organization is necessary for the successful solution of farm holdings problems. In Belarus the cooperation with farm and peasant holdings is organized insufficiently effective.
The First Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food also stated, that in the Republic for the increasing of national farmers support there was developed a draft of a decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus on the concessional lending of farmers. It is supposed, that all loans will be originated for 8 years with 1,5 per cent per annum.
According to Nadezhda Kotkovets, in Belarus there was created the essential package of measures for increasing of farm and peasant enterprises, development of agriculture, improvement of social conditions for branch workers, etc.
At the same time, it is necessary to modernize the system personnel training and continuing education. Also, there is a problem of the efficient use of land allocated for farm holding and their quality. The problems of sate support for the primary capital improvement of farm territories and their equipage with the modern technologies have not been solved fully yet. There is not active handing over of idle buildings, facilities and equipment with their subsequent repurchase for the farmers.
 In Nadezhda Kotkovets’s opinion, farm enterprises in Belarus should increase the production of import-substituting and export-oriented production.
"In the modern conditions under the appropriate state support the farm enterprises posses the real opportunities in expansion of production volume of import-substituting and export-oriented products", – noted Nadezhda Kotkovets. She marked, that the top-priority direction of the budget financing of farm holdings could become the fruit production branch, taking into account that domestic production of fruit and berries at the national market does not satisfy its demand neither in quality nor in quantity.
In plant growing branch the support of farm sector should be directed towards development of vegetable production, especially garlic, onion, ornamental drug plants. In animal husbandry farm sector could be realized an active development of rabbit breeding, vegetable production, goat milk production, turkey and ostrich breeding.
Nadezhda Kotkovets thinks, that Belarusian farmers have not occupied the relevant markets in development of agro-eco tourism.
In Belarus there are more than 2 thousand peasant (farm) holdings. All in all, since 1991 in Belarus there have been formed 6 thousand such holdings, but nearly 4 thousand of them have terminated their activity. The percentage of peasant (farm) holdings in the overall total production of the main types of agricultural products remains insignificant and amounts less than 2%. Particularly, 0,2% - in milk production; 0,5% – in meat production; 1,3% – in grain production; 1,6% – in potato production; and 5,6% – in vegetable production. Among the chiefs of farm holdings, 36% of leaders have higher education; 43% - specialized secondary education; 19,4% - secondary-level education; and 1,6% - incomplete secondary education.
Plant growing branch proved to be the main specialization of farm holdings. At the same time, grain production is the primary product in 40% of holdings; vegetable and potato production – in 31% of farm holdings; fruit production - in 5% of farm.
Source: The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus
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