Results Over Wish Lists: Lukashenko Sets the Standard for Belarusian Farming
That was the tone President Alexander Lukashenko set on August 14 in Zhitkovichi district, Gomel region, as he inspected one of the area’s most successful private farms and pressed for clearer answers on the future of Belarusian farming.
Gomel region currently ranks fourth in the grain harvest and is closing in on one million tons. Harvest progress is always discussed during the president’s August trips, but the declared priority this time was the development of farming itself.
Governor Ivan Krupko and district head Vladimir Antonenko met the president on arrival. Conversation quickly turned to profitability and the story of Mikhail Shrub, a well-known local farmer.
“Milk and beef production is growing. The farmer is ready to build a new dairy complex,” Krupko reported.
The farm itself is simply called Shrub — a recognizable brand far beyond Gomel region. It runs herds, produces milk, processes meat, grows vegetables, and takes much of it all the way to the retail shelf. The business is 30 years old. It started with 30 hectares and has expanded to more than 7,000.
“The most important thing for you is the heirs,” Lukashenko told Mikhail Shrub.
After the governor’s numbers, the president moved straight to the main subject and set clear harvest benchmarks. Rapeseed is finished — 140,000 tons, a gain of 69,000. Current grain total stands at 983,000 tons; the target is 1.05 million within two or three days. Corn is projected at 450,000 tons, bringing the overall grain harvest to 1.5 million.
One practical problem drew special attention: feed from the Pripyat floodplains. The grass there is ideal — high protein, proper fiber, and a direct boost to milk yields. The difficulty is access. Large, high-powered equipment cannot reach the floodplains. Lukashenko ordered a solution.
“We need to think about machinery for mowing river floodplains. Small mowers, small tractors, a round baler — cut it and wrap it in film,” he said. He placed the issue under the governor’s direct responsibility and stressed that systematic mowing would return significant unused land to production. “We have to mow the floodplains everywhere. We are losing a huge amount of land. The feed there is not free, but it is cheap.”
The president also referenced the 2025–2030 Pripyat Polesye Development Program, insisting that large public investment must produce concrete results.
Shrub himself reported solid figures: 27,000 tons of milk produced and 32,000 sold last year; 7,000 tons of grain including corn; net profit of 20 million rubles. The farm is betting on corn and continues steady growth in milk.
Land allocation remains a sensitive question. Successful farms want to expand next door. Shrub has already taken over the loss-making Lyudenevichi operation after the state restructured debts and provided a base. Lukashenko was blunt about the limits.
“You have to understand me. I cannot take land from a farm that is already working well. You know this is a problem. There are many other issues as well. That is why I suggested earlier: give him farms in different places. What is the difficulty if a complete, established farm is 300 kilometers away? The system has to match reality.”
He added a clear preference for integrated operations: “Many want to do crop farming but not livestock. What am I supposed to feed people with — only bread? We need meat and milk. So I orient farmers toward handling these questions comprehensively.”
The condition for state support was stated without ambiguity: “The main thing is the result. The time has come to move away from wish lists.”
And one more instruction to everyone present: “Tell the truth, the way you actually think. Otherwise, why did I come here? For the future development of the country I need the truth.”
Hard numbers back the approach. Rank-and-file wages at the Shrub farm exceed 3,000 rubles; technologists earn substantially more. The farm specializes in vegetables as well; the president inspected sorting, storage, pre-sale preparation, and processing lines, and heard about a new vegetable storage facility under construction.
Finished products — pickles, sausages, salo — already reach three major retail chains in Minsk, aimed at busy households. The meat, in particular, draws strong local loyalty.
The larger conclusion is straightforward. No farm works efficiently without state programs and broad support for the agricultural sector. The moment is arriving, however, when subsidies will be reduced more carefully. For effective managers that is manageable. For ineffective ones it will be a serious problem.