OREANDA-NEWS. February 03, 2010. A total of Br4.6 trillion was allocated from the budgets of all levels to finance the agricultural industry in Belarus in 2009, Semyon Shapiro, Minister of Agriculture and Foodstuffs, said at a session of the ministry.

According to the minister, Br593,000 or USD 212 was allocated per 1 hectare of land, up 30% from 2008. The provision with mineral fertilizers was improved by 18%, that with seeds by 20%. With such support the results could have been better, the minister believes.

Only 14 regions met the targets. According to the minister, the development of the agrarian industry came to a halt in the Minsk and Grodno oblasts. In terms of agricultural output, the growth made up 1% and 0.7% over 2008 respectively. According to Semyon Shapiro, despite encouraging promises made by the governors, no concrete results have been reached. Thus, ten out of 16 regions that have cut down the output are in the Minsk oblast. The economic parameters in the oblast are below the national level. The oblast has the highest prime cost of grain – Br321,000 (Br299,000 across the country).

The minister criticized the agricultural sector of the Vitebsk oblast. This largest region takes the last place in cattle-breeding and plant cultivation. According to Semyon Shapiro, one cannot link all problems in the agricultural industry to the climate only. “The majority of problems in the agricultural sector are subjective. Very often the reason is poor management,” he stressed.