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Aliaksandr Lukashenka used a meeting on projects with foreign partners on Friday to criticise Belarus’s industrial sector over product quality issues. He also pointed to difficulties facing several industrial holdings.
“At the beginning of this year, our enterprises performed quite well. Exports overall. I want everyone to understand that on the second day of his work I personally instructed the prime minister: take a close look at our industrial enterprises and the industrial sector as a whole. Despite modest growth in industry, thank God there has been no decline, I remain concerned. You report that exports are doing well, and that is the main thing because we are an export-oriented country. Why produce something if we cannot sell it? And I drew your attention to quality,” he said.
According to Lukashenka, he receives special reports prepared by the presidential press service compiling feedback from Belarusians and other consumers about domestic products. He said the reports contain a significant amount of criticism.
“I have just reviewed another report prepared for me by the presidential press service. They monitor everything and put the critical comments from our people on my desk. What is going on with Atlant? Of course, I understand that someone writes: ‘I noticed a scratch on the refrigerator.’ They used the refrigerator for two years and then noticed a scratch. Fine. But if you saw a scratch on a brand-new refrigerator in the shop, you should not have bought it. There was more than one refrigerator on display. That happens too. But there is no smoke without fire. And Atlant is probably not in the best condition right now. What happened to my demand for quality? And I have used this as an example. It is not only about Atlant,” he said.
Lukashenka also linked product quality to the economic performance of enterprises.
“The minister must remember once and for all that even the smallest complaint from people is under my control. I would not want to form a poor impression of you, and through you of the government. The prime minister must also understand that while, on average, things seem to be going fairly well and exports are growing, there are three, four or five enterprises—or rather entire associations, holdings and production groups—that are barely functioning. We must investigate immediately and put a stop to this, especially when it comes to quality. But if you cannot produce large volumes, then at least make a high-quality product that people actually want to buy,” he said.