During today’s meeting on the development of the country’s flax industry, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko raised the issue of the need to increase the depth of processing of flax raw materials, sb.by reports
The Head of State pointed out a key unresolved issue in the flax sector related to processing levels, “The main product derived from short flax fibres remains the so-called raw cottonised flax fibre [a semi-finished product at the first stage] which is almost entirely exported as a raw commodity. Meanwhile, the country imports mixed yarn made from this very cottonised flax fibre. In the first nine months of this year, Belarus exported flax fabrics valued at nearly $40m (about 2 percent less than the same period in 2025), and flax yarn exports totalled $1.3m (down 11.5 percent).”
At the same time, Belarus imported flax fabrics worth over $2m (an 18 percent increase compared to last year), flax fibre valued at $2.6m (up 20 percent), and flax yarn amounting to $2.3m (a six-fold increase).
The President questioned this trend, saying, “We have the capability to produce these products domestically, yet imports are rising rapidly. So, what exactly are we modernising if imports are increasing so sharply? Furthermore, the project to establish domestic production of similar yarn, which was presented today, has been delayed. It was initially planned to be completed by December 2025. Even after this production line starts, less than 23 percent of short fibre will undergo deeper processing. What will happen to the rest of the raw material?”
Aleksandr Lukashenko also stressed the role of Belarusian science in supporting flax cultivation development, stating, “We have discussed these issues multiple times. At the previous similar meeting, the Flax Institute faced strong criticism. What progress has been made since then? Have there been any technological breakthroughs? Will we be able to produce high-count yarn from low-count flax fibre? Are scientists addressing this challenge, or is it solely the responsibility of processors?”
