The key facts
- Lukashenko stated that in agriculture 'the dependency is excessive'
- The volume of state support may even increase, but it will be distributed according to the situation of specific farms
- New principles for subsidies are expected to be considered in the near future
Demand to change the approach to subsidies
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, during a working trip to Shklov, stated that there is excessive dependency in agriculture and demanded a change in the approach to state support for the sector, reports BelTA (as summarized by Life.ru). According to him, farms should not count on budget injections without an assessment of whether such assistance is really needed. 'Because in agriculture, the dependency among us is excessive. I can already see it. There should be no dependency,' Life.ru quotes the president as saying.
Funding may grow, but in a targeted way
In the near future, new principles for granting subsidies are expected to be considered. Lukashenko emphasized that this does not necessarily mean cutting funding: the volume of support for agriculture may even increase. However, in his view, the funds should be distributed taking into account the situation of specific enterprises — those that are already able to manage without state support should not continue to receive money. Thus, the announced change concerns not the volume of budget funds but the principle of targeting them.
Instructions on the ground
In addition, Lukashenko demanded that the chairpersons of district executive committees restore order in the agricultural organizations of their districts. He also reminded the head of the Presidential Affairs Directorate, Yuri Nazarov, of the instruction to clear overgrown floodplain lands along rivers and use them for fodder harvesting; a special milling machine is being manufactured for this work.
Criticism of the OSCE
Earlier, as Life.ru notes, Lukashenko criticized the work of the OSCE against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Europe: according to him, the organization, created to ensure security and cooperation, is not showing a proper response to what is happening. At the same time, Minsk, despite its ambiguous attitude toward the structure, intends to push for its return to its immediate security tasks.
