Mr. Lukashenko has set a range of tasks, explaining, “It once took colossal effort to thresh 1m tonnes of grain: a victory for the whole country. Now, we thresh 1m tonnes even before the main harvest begins. It’s a huge improvement. This year, we need to come closer to 9m tonnes — primarily for grain, leguminous crops and maize. This would be our victory, meeting needs in most areas.”
The Belarusian President praised the work of scientists in developing various branches of the economy, saying, “Scientists should be at least half a step ahead, creating progressive technology and innovative proposals for agriculture, as well as for other spheres.”
During the working meeting, major forecasts for 2013 were discussed, in addition to Belarus’ budget for next year. The President reminded everyone that he had discussed these issues beforehand, with Vladimir Andreichenko, the Chairman of the National Assembly’s House of Representatives. He noted, “We’ve agreed that the current Parliament should adopt its major areas of development for the forthcoming period. Accordingly, we need to pay maximum attention to preparing relevant documents for submission to Parliament. We need not just to take control but to solve these issues today.”
The Belarusian PM noted, “We plan that, in 2013, GDP growth should reach about 108.5 percent, while volumes of housing construction should seriously increase, reaching 6.5m square metres annually. Moreover, great attention must be paid to developing agriculture and industry, creating the necessary conditions from the second half of this year.”
Mr. Lukashenko also recalled his recent meeting with the Chair of the National Bank’s Board, Nadezhda Yermakova. “I demanded that we move to develop the economy in every way possible. The National Bank should work jointly with the Government to achieve this. We have a normal situation on the currency market, regardless of seasonal trends, but we need to take a real overview as all money comes from the economy.”
Another important issue was flagged once more by the President. “I’d like to hear about salaries, as we need to raise them to $500 a month; this will make people feel that they (with the safety cushion of a ‘normal’ salary) are earning a true wage. Moreover, we need to distance ourselves from tensions regarding salaries, which sometimes appear from above; an average salary of $500 is the minimum to be ensured in our country.”
According to Mr. Myasnikovich, the average salary is being raised beyond that originally planned, reflecting growth in labour efficiency. Soon, ‘white collar’ workers will see wages increased, as will military employees.
According to the PM, 2012’s goal of real income growth has been achieved already. He explains, “Public incomes will exceed forecast levels (specified for 2012) and this trend will continue through 2013 and 2014.”
Another topic tackled by Mr. Lukashenko during his meeting with the Prime Minister was the launch of the Belarusian satellite. “We’ve launched our own satellite, making Belarus a space power, as we originally planned. We’ve preserved and extended work in this sphere, as is vital for Belarus. Space encompasses the highest technologies. We’ve created new manufactures and are ready to produce satellites ourselves. I believe that we need to work in closer co-operation with the Russian Federation, liaising with the PRC. We must work to generate maximum profit from this satellite, selling similar models to all those interested.”
