Each of us remembers with nostalgia those wonderful times of our childhood, when we visited our grandparents in the village, went to the forest, to the river, to the lake, and helped the older generation with the housework. Almost every rural family had cows, pigs, geese, and machinery was constantly working in the fields - life was in full swing in the villages.
Now everything has changed! What happened to Belarusian agriculture, what is the real level of wages in the villages, how Lukashenka profits from ordinary rural residents you will find out right now!
Agriculture is a significant sector of the economy of Belarus, providing 6.8% of the country's GDP and 16.9% of exports according to Belstat for 2021. Belarus has the highest in Europe - 0.56 hectares per inhabitant - twice as much as in Germany, France, England.
Lukashenko does not miss the opportunity to proudly declare the agriculture of Belarus, it is not surprising, because he as he was the chairman of the collective farm, he remained so, nothing has changed in his head, only the scale has increased. However, economic indicators often differ markedly from political statements. Let's look at the facts.
In 2022, 7.0% % of the population or 233,800 people were employed in agriculture out of a total rural population of just over 2 million people. And the figure employed in agriculture is steadily declining. The number of able-bodied population in the countryside is just over 1 million (1,097,667 people).
The wages of Belarusians employed in agriculture are below the average level in the economy. In 2021, the average accrued wages in agriculture amounted to 1,002 rubles, and in 2022, 1,174 rubles. How do you think everyone has such a salary? Combine operators, in order to receive at least such an average salary to feed their families, literally live in the field during the harvest, and receive 4-5 thousand Belarusian rubles for the season, and the rest of the months ???, if the average salary according to Belstat is slightly more than 1000 rubles - count for yourself.
For many Belarusians working in the countryside, a salary of 500, not the promised dollars, but rubles, is commonplace. This is how Lukashenka generously evaluates those whom he always sets as an example.
Moreover, labor productivity in agriculture per worker, according to the latest data from the same Belstat, in 2021 was or 7,111 rubles a month.
People work day and night, produce products with the hardest work, and receive a penny as a reward. And as a medical service - a tractor. Why is that so?
One of the reasons is the low profitability of sales of agricultural organizations - 6.1% on average in the industry.
And all because of the fact that Belarus sells products for export below cost, and because of this, debts and problems are growing - the former Belarusian adviser to the minister, Kazimir Romanovsky, spoke about this in an interview with Belsat. All this is done for the sake of obtaining foreign currency - at a loss.
According to the reports of the pro-government television, the harvesting company breaks records of previous years every year, the yield is growing, we are ready to feed and supply almost the whole world. But only populist slogans diverge from facts and statistics. We have not yet learned to fully meet the needs of our agriculture and manufacturing industry in food crops, seeds, quality feed and malt. They have to be purchased. Yes, yes, do not be surprised to buy. And those record volumes that we grow go mainly for fodder needs - that is, for livestock feed, due to the specialization of our agriculture in animal husbandry. BUT specialist Lukashenko, apparently, does not care, he is ready to feed the whole of Europe with this feed grain.
The number of jobs in agricultural organizations is inexorably decreasing - in this way they are trying to hide the shortage of personnel, they simply reduce places. The number of agricultural machinery, machinery and equipment is also decreasing.
And most importantly! According to Belstat statistics, crop yields are falling every year! surprised? Probably yes.
Moreover, even the prescribed yield is fictitious. Productivity is often raised at the expense of unaccounted for lands, lands of non-agricultural significance (the territory along roads is sown, forestry lands are used) - i.e. they harvest from an area larger than 1 hectare, and in the statistics they reflect that it is allegedly threshed from 1 hectare.
In general, the addition of crops, milk yields, livestock is a relic of the past, which is firmly planted in the heads of officials, proteges of Lukashenka - if only the strong business executive did not swear. The notorious window dressing, Lukashenka's visiting card, and a manual brake on the development of Belarus.
But the scale of the decline is such that it cannot be hidden, and then show-offs, dismissals, and imprisonments begin. Where without iron discipline - this is the basis of the economy, according to Lukashenka.
In Belarus, the main role in the structure of agriculture belongs to agricultural organizations - these include agro-combines, agricultural production cooperatives, communal agricultural enterprises. More than 40 agricultural holdings operate in the country. But in fact, these are the same collective farms and state farms, mostly renamed and operating ostensibly on a market basis, but in fact - with active state support.
In 2013, Lukashenka said that about $50 billion had been invested in agriculture in recent years, but there was no point, and also promised that by 2017 state subsidies to agriculture would be reduced to a minimum. Well, as usual, he kept his words.
Net profit in 2022 jumped by 27% compared to the previous year. However, all due to the same state support. Without taking it into account, in 2022 the share of unprofitable agricultural organizations exceeds 50%. The debt of agricultural organizations reached a record, amounting to 17.2 billion rubles as of June 1, 2022. Compared to last year, it grew by 7.4% in nominal terms. The share of overdue debts amounted to 17.8%.
A significant part of Belarusian products, even taking into account large subsidies, tax benefits, cheap loans, which are then forgiven, not to mention free diesel fuel, fertilizers and other gifts from industrial enterprises is much more expensive than the European one, which leads to & nbsp; unprofitability & nbsp; exports. The production of one kilogram of meat in Belarus requires 8-10 times more electricity than in developed countries, and the production of the same amount of milk and beef requires much more feed.
Agriculture is simply impossible to develop, since agricultural markets and marginal prices for agricultural products are controlled by the state. And most importantly, the export of food products is monopolized by the same state.
Lukashenko is afraid of private property, like fire. According to him, he is ready to use private capital only under an iron condition - "so that a person is not offended here," so that the peasant has a job and "a decent salary." But in fact, potential investors are rolled out a set of conditions and ultimatums, hangs social programs, and after investing, as in the dashing 90s, everything is often taken away - few people are ready to agree to such conditions. The state specifically does not create favorable conditions for the development of farms. He buys their agricultural products for pennies.
For the country's leadership, the collective-farm system of agriculture is precisely a political component. Back in 1998, Lukashenko stated that “the collective farm and state farm today are not only an organizational and economic structure in the countryside, say, the central structure in the countryside. It is also the central state, if you like, political structure in the countryside. If there is no collective farm and state farm, the state will not be able to effectively pursue its policy in the countryside. There will be no collective farms – how will you give the command for whom to vote?
As long as the rural population is dependent on the state, it is obedient and manageable. When people become independent masters, they feel that they don’t need the state, they will behave differently, and Lukashenka doesn’t need it at all.
Many Belarusians ask the question, what can I do against the regime? Each of us has relatives who live in the countryside, who work like this all day long, they don’t know what a resort is, they have no time to learn the truth from the Internet, in rare moments of rest they draw propaganda from a zombie man, they resigned themselves to the thought that it couldn't be any better. This is what Lukashenka has been striving for for many years.
Each of us can change the minds of the villagers, we can influence our future together - do not be lazy, communicate with your relatives from the village, come visit us, show our videos, videos of what is really happening in Belarus and the world, show the truth, bring strong arguments and undeniable evidence. It is not easy, but there would be a desire.
Unite, fight with us for the eradication of slave labor and the provision of decent living conditions, both in the city and in the countryside. Tell about us to your friends and relatives, join the Working Mobility, interact with us - and then together we will be able to return the freedom of Belarus, to build a wonderful country with a developed and profitable agriculture. Long live Belarus!
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