The number of Belarusian agricultural enterprises that operate in the red decreases every year, BelTA learned from Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Aleksandr Subbotin during the 30th international agriculture expo Belagro 2020 on 29 September.
The official said that all countries subsidize their farmers to a degree. It is one of the points countries willing to join the World Trade Organization hotly argue about. “We have loss-making enterprises but their number decreases every year,” he noted.
Aleksandr Subbotin stressed the importance of agriculture for the country. “Food security is of key importance. We endeavor to satisfy the domestic demand for food out of our own resources and we've been able to do that so far. I think our export of agricultural products will grow a bit this year,” he noted.
In his words, Belarus is one of the leading European agricultural countries. Belarusian food products are known in more than 100 countries across the globe. Belarusian food enjoys a competitive edge on global markets and boasts excellent quality and outstanding taste. He attributed these accomplishments to the hard work of Belarusian farmers.
Aleksandr Subbotin said that plans have been made to invest in better agricultural technologies and new high-quality products in the next five years. “We can improve our production only via science. In order to be more competitive and more successful, we have to increase the conversion rate of products. We need to sell products with a high added value: cheese instead of milk, sausages instead of meat,” the deputy prime minister pointed out.