Lukashenko: Harvest time is a battle for Belarus' food security

For Belarusians harvest time is a battle for food security, and the one who is better prepared wins the battle, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during a conference call to discuss the harvest progress on 21 July, BelTA has learned.

This is not the first time that the head of state has convened a meeting on the harvest progress in the form of a large conference call. This format provides an opportunity to see the situation on the ground, all the successes and shortcomings in real time. "Harvest is always the number one issue. In fact, this is the moment of truth and the finish line of the great efforts by the entire agricultural industry during an agricultural year," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

"In order to ensure our own food security, to make sure that we have ‘bread on our table, as people say, and that processing enterprises are provided with raw materials and livestock - with feed, we need to mobilize now. Harvest time is a battle, if you will. Everything depends on this battle. War is war. The winner is the one who is better prepared, who has used all the resources and fights from dawn to dawn. Today we need to honestly answer the question where we underperform and urgently correct the shortcomings," the president stressed.

The head of state addressed a number of questions to those responsible for the agricultural industry: what is the situation with harvesting at the moment and what will happen in the future based on this? Are there any unresolved issues, including grain harvesting equipment? What is the condition of grain cleaning and drying complexes?

"We need to engage the production capacities of bakery plants. They must organize the acceptance and processing of grain 24/7," the president instructed. "If there are free storage facilities, they need to be used to store cheap purchased grain."

Aleksandr Lukashenko also demanded that the state grain procurement order be met in full and expressed confidence that it would be so: "This is our food gold reserve."

Separately, the head of state asked about the availability of labor resources. "Harvesting bread is a nationwide affair. Plans are in place to attract an additional 3,000 machine operators, as many as last year, he said. “I know that many men, especially those who were born in the countryside, specifically take vacations for July and get a job as combine operators in order to earn good extra money for their families (pay for back-to-school expenses, for example). I ask industrial enterprises and the governors to draw up plans on personnel. There should be no shortage of work clothes or hot meals in the field. People need to be fed on time."

Aleksandr Lukashenko said it is important to observe order and discipline. "The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Emergencies Ministry should provide protection of fields and people against fires, make sure that harvesting and grain drying equipment is safe," he said.

The head of state also pointed out the need to provide assistance to those who live in private farmsteads. They have 30,000 hectares planted to grain crops. "Special attention should be paid to elderly and to citizens, villagers living alone. Surplus grain will be purchased by bakeries," he said.

Speaking about the work of the media, Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that harvest leaders are the true heroes of our time: "They deserve that the country be proud of them and look up to them. I see that this work has begun. We need to expand and deepen it."

"Plan your strength and resources accordingly. The level of organization of work and labor discipline should be top-notch. You see what is happening around," the president noted. "I often remind you: economy is essential for peace and calm.”

Written by belta.by