Dear friends,
Next year, the Brest Region will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its foundation. During this period, the Brest Region fell to survive difficult times and faced much to overcome. However, in spite of any obstacles, it remains one of the leading regions of the country, especially in terms of the development of the agricultural sector.
At present, although the Brest Region has significant industrial potential, die agricultural sector represents the basis for the region’s economy and employs more than 60,000 people. The agricultural sector of the Brest Region faced good changes during the implementation of the State programme of revival and development of villages (2005-2010). Within the State programme, due to the initiative of President Alexander Lukashenko and significant state financial support, more than 200 dwelling setdements of the Brest Region were granted the status of agro-towns. Due to serious reforms, the Brest Region has significantly reduced the portion of manual labour in manufacture, introduced new high technologies and set living conditions in villages maximally close to living conditions in cities.
Modernization of agricultural enterprises has become one of the most important stages of the complex development of the agriculture sector. During the implementation of the State programme of revival and development of villages, agricultural enterprise gained about 1500 tractors, 1500 grain and forage harvesters, and more than 1180 trucks. In subsequent years, the capacities were greatly increased, and that fact made it possible to reach new economic indicators.
Last year, the agricultural enterprises of the Brest Region increased agricultural output (at constant prices) by 10.3%. Enterprises of the agricultural sector exported goods to the CIS countries and the countries of far abroad for 655.1 million US dollars or 117.1% compared to 2011.
The indicators are increasing every year due to continuous strengthening of the material and technical base of the agriculture-and-industrial complex and introduction of new technologies in animal breeding and plant cultivation.
By results of 2012, the Brest Region won the national competition due to reaching the highest rates in the harvesting of grains and legumes. During recent harvesting, in average per hectare, 37 centners of grain were harvested and 1.4 million tons were milled. Agricultural enterprises of the livestock industry produced 1.2 million tons of milk per year. In terms of milk production, the Brest Region has occupied the second place in the country, in terms of the average milk yield per cow the third place.
And the Brest Region has a huge potential for further improvement of the above figures. At present, the Brest Region has the highest density of livestock in the country: 67 heads of cattle per 100 hectares of farmland (in Belarus 55), including cows 23 heads (18). All livestock is provided with forage. For three consecutive years (2010-2012), the Brest Region became winner of the Republican contest in forage conservation. The number of cattle continues increasing, and the productivity of dairy herds increases. Technical basis for livestock industry is being strengthened and modernized, and new technologies for cattle breeding are being introduced. Following the instruction of the President, just for the past year, the Brest Region carried out reconstruction of 188 dairy commercial farms and built 29 new ones with optimal conditions for breeding of dairy cattle and manufacturing products of the highest quality. Due to that fact, at present, in the Brest Region, 78.8% of milk sold is of extra and higher grades. Hog and poultry farm industries also increase output. In the Lyakhovichi and Pruzhany Districts, hog farms are built, allowing manufacturing products with use of the most advanced technologies. Poultry farming makes worthy contribution to the economy of the Brest Region. The flagship enterprise of poultry farming is the Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC) «Poultry ‘Druzhba’» of the Baranovichi District. Just for past year, the enterprise produced agricultural products for more than one trillion roubles.
In recent years, the significant work was performed in plant cultivation, primarily, on deepening the specialization of farms, change in species composition of grasses, and application of scientific approaches in cultivation of crops. All the above has significantly increased the yield of fields, hayfields and pastures. For five consecutive years, the Brest Region confidently overcomes the level of one million tons of harvested grains and legumes. Unfortunately, the current year turned out to be unfavourable for farmers. Nature has made adjustments to the plans of grain growers. However, in spite of all anomalies, during the current harvest, more than one million tons of grain was harvested. Good harvest is expected from corn plantations. It should be noted that the harvesting of grain was held at the optimum time. And that made it possible to harvest crops with minimal losses.
And again, due to the support of the state and the President of the country, the Brest Region completely renovated its machine and tractor force. On the eve of the harvesting, many farms have been provided complete readiness of harvesting machines. More than 1600 harvesters, mostly of domestic production, which by their performance is not inferior to imported machinery, were involved in harvesting. Although the yield of fields was lower than in past year, farmers of the Pruzhany and Baranovichi Districts harvested more than 100,000 tons of grain. In the context of farms, the OJSC «Bialovezhsky» of the Kamenetz District and the OJSC «Poultry ‘Druzhba’» of the Baranovichi District became the leaders. Grain yield of the first enterprise exceeded 35,000 tons, and grain yield of the second enterprise exceeded 31,000 tons.
On the yield of grain and legumes, the Brest District with average yield of field not less than 39 centners per hectare and the Lyakhovichi District with average yield of more than 38 centners per hectare occupied the leading position, mostly due to the best agricultural enterprises, : such as the Agricultural Production Cooperative (APC) «Zherebkovichi» and the APC «Lyakhovichskij.» In the first of the above farms, average yield was 54.7 centners per hectare, in the second 58.4 centners per hectare. This year, these figures are particularly important for the Lyakhovichi District, since this autumn, the District welcomes the regional festival «Dazhynki» to honour the best grain growers of the Brest Region a lot of local workers, who managed to achieve excellent performance during the grain harvest season. And there are a lot of competitors. At present harvest season, as at August 19, 2013, 243 crews of harvesting machines harvested more than 1000 tons of grain, 32 crews more than 1500 tons, and 5 crews overcame the level of 2000 tons.
Naturally, the Brest Region will not stop on the figures achieved. In the coming years, workers of all industries are expected to greatly increase the output figures to ensure fulfilment of the tasks assigned to the Brest Region in the future, since it affects economic performance not only in our region, but also in the country as a whole. And the Brest Region always tried to be the best among the best. And we hold this good tradition. And, in spite of all natural, financial and economic problems, we do our best not only to preserve, but also to multiply the results achieved earlier. We have no other way.
Konstantin A. SUMAR
Chairman of the Brest Regional Executive Committee