OREANDA-NEWS. December 02, 2008. The Belarusian agricultural industry will need Br5.3 trillion in 2009 for farm work, Minister of Agriculture and Food of Belarus Semyon Shapiro said at a session of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers, reported the Official website www.government.by. 

The session highlighted the measures to get the agricultural organisations ready for the sowing and harvest campaigns in 2009. According to Semyon Shapiro, next year the country plans to produce at least 9.4 million tonnes of grain, 9.2 million tonnes of potato, 4 million tonnes of sugar beet, 2.2 million tonnes of vegetables, 60,000 tonnes of flax, 880,000 tonnes of rape seeds, 700,000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables.

The volume of fodder grain will be increased by almost one million tonnes to 4.5 million tonnes.
Some Br5.3 trillion will be required to finance these works. Of them Br291,1 billion will be assigned from the national budget, Br1017,2 billion from the oblast budgets, Br931 billion from the national fund to support agricultural producers and Br1464,1 billion from the own funds of the organisations.

The remaining Br800 billion worth of funds will come in the form of a budgetary loan to purchase diesel fuel and bank loans. Semyon Shapiro addressed the Government with a request to approve the proposal to allocate this budgetary loan to the oblast executive committees in 2009.

For next year’s field works the agricultural organisations will need 731,400 tonnes of diesel fuel, 102,800 tonnes of motor petrol, 30,600 tonnes motor oil and lubrications and also 30,000 tonnes of fuel oil to the total amount of Br1.8 trillion.

It is also important to have the fleet of machines and tractors prepared for the sowing campaign, Semyon Shapiro said. Agricultural companies will have to repair 12,400 tractors, 4,100 ploughs, 4,800 seeders and also 8,400 grain harvesters and 1,400 fodder chopper. All in all, Br433.8 billion will be needed to fiancй repair works. Of them Br72.1 billion will be allocated by the oblast authorities, Br283,6 billion own assets of agricultural companies, Br78,1 billion bank loans.

According to Semyon Shapiro, Br794 billion will be allocated from the national fund to support agricultural producers and Br712.7 billion from the oblast budgets. The remaining funds will be provided by agricultural companies (Br350 billion) and with the help of bank loans (Br369.7 billion).

A sharp decrease in the prices for fertilisers will allow saving on farm work, Semyon Shapiro said. According to him, next year’s requirements in mineral fertilisers are estimated at 1.9 million tonnes, including 736,000 tonnes of nitric fertilisers, 351,000 tonnes of phosphoric and 825,000 tonnes of potash fertilisers. Today they cost Br2.2 trillion while a month ago the price exceeded Br3 trillion. “The prices for fertilisers are plummeting. Now we need Br853 billion less as against November,” the Minister said.

In his words, next year Belarusian chemicals enterprises are expected to deliver 1.55 million tonnes of fertilisers, including 558,000 tonnes of nitric fertilisers, 164,500 tonnes of phosphoric and 825,000 tonnes of potash fertilisers. Thus, the country will need to import around 178,000 tonnes of nitric fertilisers and 187,000 tonnes of phosphoric fertilisers.

In previous years the oblast authorities have failed to allocate the funds for field works in the full amount. We need to make sure that such situation will not repeat next year, Semyon Shapiro believes.