In response to the situation in Russian agriculture, the Belarusian President appeals to increase domestic potato and other vegetable production. It encourages effective harvest storage.
The West, unrecognized Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko called on Wednesday to increase potato production in the country. He stated that it is necessary to grow plenty of potatoes for domestic consumption also for Russia, which faces their deficit and rising prices of this basic food. Referring to Belta report, DPA reported, TASR writes.
Belarus is strongly dependent on agriculture and potatoes have been perceived in the past as a symbol of Lukashenko’s government; He came to high politics after his work as chairman of the peasant cooperative – Sovchozu.
In Belarus, which has a planned economy, recently there is a noticeable lack of potatoes and other agricultural products. A few weeks ago, this crisis led a government in Minsk to increase the prices of vegetables – they are set by the state in Belarus.
It is not a charity for Russia, he claims
Lukashenko on Wednesday attributed this situation to problems in Russia’s agriculture and said that Russia also bought Belarusian supplies. At the same time, he called for “help our brothers Russians”, stating that it should not be a charity, because it can also be earned on potatoes. Similar instructions were given to Lukashenko for the cultivation of beets, cabbage, carrots and onions, and he called on growers to think in advance ways to store all the stocks of fruits and vegetables.
The DPA added that the government in Minsk has abolished the ban on the import of fruit and vegetables from the European Union, which it introduced in December 2021 in response to Western sanctions.
The relations with the West were already tense before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, in which part of the units of the Russian army penetrated into the territory of Ukraine and from the Belarusian territory. Russia and Belarus are closely linked to the framework of the union state to deepen their mutual economic and defense cooperation.
