Фото: пресс-служба Лукашенко
Aliaksandr Lukashenka has said he would not object to divesting the troubled agricultural holding Kupalovskoye. He is also considering expanding the Drybin District. Both issues were discussed at a meeting held today.
The Property Management Directorate currently oversees two agricultural holdings: Kupalovskoye and the Agro-Industrial Holding, which together comprise three industrial enterprises and 11 agricultural companies.
“The overall picture for these complexes is positive. Considerable investment has been channelled into the enterprises — more than 200 million Belarusian rubles over the past year and a half. This includes machinery, fertilisers, seeds and leasing. Last year, revenue increased by 17%, profit by one-third and exports by 20%. These are good figures, but they are not indicators of efficiency: they do not reflect profitability, high returns or substantial funds in bank accounts,” Lukashenka said.
After highlighting positive aspects, he moved on to criticism. According to him, cattle mortality at the Kupalovskoye holding increased by 25%. Lukashenka criticised Property Management Directorate head Yury Nazarau for failing to restore proper order at the holding.
“In reality, there is no discipline in this showcase holding: equipment has not been repaired, fodder harvesting is not being carried out according to proper technology, machinery is not ready for the harvest campaign, and at times even the livestock are left without water. It is surprising that neither the governor nor the district executive committee chairman sees this, as if it were none of their business,” he said.
Under these circumstances, Lukashenka said he saw no problem with transferring the farms belonging to Kupalovskoye into municipal ownership.
“I know very well that governors are willing to take these enterprises back. They say: take them out of the Property Management Directorate’s holding company — not everything is visible from Minsk — hand them over to us, and we will restore order. People on the ground probably understand the district’s needs better, can make management decisions more quickly and adjust the organisations’ strategies. I do not see any major problem with these farms being brought under local control and transferred into municipal ownership,” he said.
It is worth noting that in the previous decade, the enterprises making up the Kupalovskoye holding were transferred out of municipal ownership precisely in an effort to rescue them.
The second issue discussed was a proposal to expand the Drybin District by incorporating land from neighbouring districts.
“I instructed the Head of the Presidential Administration to prepare a large map so that everyone could see what this district is and what it would become. People’s opinions are very important, but only after we explain to them what we want to achieve,” Lukashenka said, asking what neighbouring districts thought about the proposed expansion.
“How much will this cost the budget and citizens, if anything? I assumed it would cost nothing. But if some farms need support, we will provide it,” he continued.
Lukashenka also asked about the expected economic benefits.
“If the Drybin District is to continue, we need to think about what it should look like. It should correspond to the average size of districts in our country. That was our starting point,” he said.
In April this year, Anatol Isachanka, chairman of the Mahiliou Regional Executive Committee, reported on plans to increase the area of the Drybin District by 10,000 hectares. Following the expansion, the district will have six agricultural enterprises instead of three. Earlier, in March, during a visit to the Mogilev State Breeding Enterprise, where Hereford cattle are bred, Lukashenka himself proposed transferring part of the Shklou District to the Drybin District.
“I suggest that you and the governor think about developing the Drybin District. Perhaps take part of the Shklou District and create a proper district. But the land should be transferred together with entire farms,” he said.