By Vladimir Khromov
Alexander Lukashenko demanded that close attention was paid to the questions of keeping land in order, not only in cities and along basic transport highways, but also in the most remote corners of Belarus
Harvesting of grain crops in the Minsk Region
The President of Belarus announced this during a working trip to the Minsk Region, where he familiarised himself with the harvest campaign. Alexander Lukashenko noted that he sees a situation not only from the window of a car along the highways, but also often on his visits to various regions, including the most remote places. The President gave an example of one such recent private trip near the junction of the Mogilev and Vitebsk regions. “I appeared in a very remote place and I saw a very disgusting attitude to some fields. They think that it is far away and that nobody will see it.”
At the same time, the President paid attention that citizens themselves, especially in the private sector and in villages, should take an active part in keeping order, and charged the management of the local chain of command to develop corresponding work with the population.
The Head of State gave instructions to apply especially strict measures — up to the confiscation of a vehicle — to those who pollute the environment by dumping trash in undesignated areas.
During a working trip to the Minsk Region, Alexander Lukashenko set a task to complete harvesting of grain in the shortest term.
The Head of State was reported to regarding operating data on the condition of grain crops. The President noted that the main objective which stands before farmers today is to harvest the grain as quickly as possible in order not to lose any of the crops. “No matter how hard it may be, the grain must be harvested right away. Within 3-4 days at most. It is what worries me most. All the rest we will do without problems,” Alexander Lukashenko said. “It will be a pity if we fail to collect the grain that has grown. Losing such a crop is a crime.”
Alexander Lukashenko charged the State Control Committee and other experts to control the fulfilment of his given instruction.
The President asked experts about the reasons of grain still in the fields and possible measures which would avoid an occurrence of a similar problem in the future. It appears that the variety of crop is very important in this question. Some varieties, even possessing good productivity, are nevertheless subject to that problem, especially in the case of bad weather conditions. In this connection, the President charged people to pay close attention to the structure of crops and to use the most resistant varieties. “Let’s sow what you consider to be capable of withstanding downpours and other things. It is necessary to do everything to keep our crops and to fight this problem,” the Head of State said.
In particular, the President gave instructions to organise the next year’s sowing campaign in the Minsk Region in this way, in order to compare the results and determine its effectiveness.
Speaking about structure of crops, the President charged the Ministry of Agriculture and Food to give clearer recommendations to farmers on the efficiency and profitability of these or other varieties and crops. “Make conclusions from the present sowing and harvest campaigns and give recommendations based on this experience,” Alexander Lukashenko noted.
The Head of State was also informed about the course of harvesting and the expected crop. This year it is expected that, excluding corn, it will be close to 8 million tonnes of grain.
