Agenda of Belarus' President: Focus on Agriculture

In the working schedule of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the topic of agriculture once again takes center stage. He is set to visit the agricultural enterprise Shipyany in the Smolevichi District of the Minsk Region, as reported by BELTA.

This event is organized in the format of an off-site seminar, with participation from officials who also serve as authorized representatives of the head of state across various regions, presidential aides from the provinces, and leaders from scientific and practical centers of the National Academy of Sciences specializing in agronomy and animal husbandry.

During the visit to the dairy complex Alesino and the machine-tractor park of the enterprise, discussions will focus on practical aspects of feeding and maintaining cattle during the winter housing period, preparing essential agricultural machinery for the upcoming spring field work, as well as new varieties of agricultural crops and the regulations governing their cultivation.

Regarding the issue of livestock preservation, especially during the winter housing period, Alexander Lukashenko has frequently emphasized its importance during both major national meetings and regional working trips. A robust feed base and a balanced diet are pivotal components of profitable production. To achieve this, the feeding regulations developed by scientists in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food must be utilized for all types of animals. "Science has developed around 100 technological guidelines and recommendations. Make use of them," the head of state advised during a meeting on the development of rural areas and boosting the efficiency of the agricultural sector in April 2024.

The President has insisted on ensuring strict compliance with technological and labor discipline at every workplace, from the herder to the farm manager, as well as the effective operation of veterinary and zootechnical services.

The readiness of equipment for the new agricultural season is also a consistent focus for Alexander Lukashenko. This concern is particularly pressing during the harvesting season, but it is equally critical in spring to lay the groundwork for future yields. This is directly related to the preparation of machinery during the winter months, timely repairs, and maintenance in machine yards. Previously, under the President’s directive, a number of measures were implemented across the country in this regard, including efforts to ensure the effective operation of regional agricultural services and the comprehensive refurbishment of old machinery by manufacturing enterprises. In August of last year, during a working trip to the Orsha District, Alexander Lukashenko visited the central machine yard of the agribusiness Yubileynyi, where the conducive working conditions for staff and machinery repairs could serve as a model for other enterprises.

The agricultural enterprise Shipyany was established in 2007, founded by the Scientific and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus for agronomy. Its main activities include milk production, raising and fattening cattle, growing cereal and leguminous crops, rapeseed, seed production, and creating a feed base for cattle.

Since 2011, the enterprise has been recognized as an elite farm for seed production of cereal, leguminous, groat, and oilseed crops.

The dairy complex Alesino was commissioned in 2014, with a construction cost of 18 million rubles. The complex consists of two barns housing 400 cows each, a maternity ward with a dry-off facility, a milking and dairy block, and an administrative-living complex. It also includes a building for raising calves and young stock, two buildings for growing young stock and heifers, and a shelter for calves during their prophylactic period.

The complex employs advanced systems for housing animals that are well-suited to the dairy cattle sector in the country, utilizing special facility designs and intensive, resource-saving technologies that enhance the rapid improvement of milk production efficiency.

As reported the Scientific and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences for livestock husbandry, significant progress has been made in Belarusian dairy farming in recent years. Last year, the country produced approximately 8.6 million tons of milk for the first time, with an average cow productivity of 6198 kg. In the ongoing winter housing period, the growth rate of milk production and productivity levels has maintained positive trends, marked by an increase of 3-4%.

"This achievement is the result of the country's strategic focus on continual innovative production updates: the introduction of modern technologies in animal housing, feeding, and milking," researchers stress.

Considerable efforts are being made to transition the dairy sector onto an industrial basis. Currently, there are just under 3,000 dairy farms in the country, of which about 60% are high-tech complexes producing over 77% of the milk. Given the attention directed towards this issue, the proportion of high-tech complexes in Belarusian dairy farming is expected to grow.

"The principal distinctive feature of industrial dairy farming in our country is the high concentration of livestock and year-round housing, which necessitates particular attention from specialists to the quality of feed preparation, the formation of production groups within complexes, the organization of feeding and milking of cows, and the conduct of veterinary interventions," the scientific and practical center remarked.

The essence of industrial milk production lies in minimizing the impact of natural and climatic factors on production technology, i.e., the seasons of the year. However, researchers note that it is essential to consider the specific conditions for feed preparation prior to their use, including temperature and other factors.

According to a technological regulation developed by scientists and approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, a flow-shop technology for milk production has been implemented across all industrial-type enterprises, which includes the allocation of animals into technological groups based on their physiological condition, thus forming three specialized sections: one for dry cows and heifers, one for calving (the maternity ward), and one for milk production, as well as feeding animals with complete feed mixtures.