Lukashenko highlighted shortcomings in agriculture, industry, exports
During today’s meeting reviewing the draft forecast documents for 2026, President Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to the ongoing recession affecting a number of traditional industries and sectors
Speaking about the agricultural sector’s performance, the Head of State said, “Despite challenging weather conditions, we managed to achieve a good harvest. However, when it comes to agricultural growth rates, we have not been able to reach last year’s level (so far, it is slightly below 100 percent, by about 1 percent). Based on the industry’s current situation, specific responsibilities have been assigned to all those in charge. At the same time, I want to warn you: any failure to fulfil our agreements and decisions will result in severe consequences. We emphasise the importance of technological and labour discipline at every level. And what about us?”
Additionally, the Belarusian leader highlighted that the industry is declining: 99.2 percent. He noted that a worsening trend in its performance has been observed since the first quarter (averaging a decrease of 0.5 percent per month).
Aleksandr Lukashenko also addressed exports of goods, “The sales rate has remained stagnant at 97-98 percent in recent months. This means that we have lost at least around $650m. We are losing money in areas where we should be profiting, especially on our key products: tractors, cars, harvesters, paints, tyres and butter. Consequently, the manufactured goods are piling up in warehouses, with inventory levels staying above 80 percent for the fifth consecutive month.”
As a result, the Head of State emphasises that there is a consistently negative trade balance. Moreover, although investments are increasing, their total amount remains insufficient to even sustain the economy’s competitiveness, accounting for around 19 percent of GDP.
