OREANDA-NEWS. March 11, 2010. Poland is ready to advance the Belarusian agricultural products to the European Union, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Marek Sawicki stated at a meeting the Agriculture ministers of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland with Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky.

“We would like to become a gateway for the export of the Belarusian agricultural produce to the European Union,” Marek Sawicki said. “We also would like to expand the exchange of experience and technologies, increase participation in exhibitions and fairs,” he added.

In his words, the cooperation with Belarus is quite important for Poland, especially taking into account the formation of the Customs Union of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan. “The most important issue today is whether the access to this big market will stay open,” the minister noted.
Marek Sawicki believes that the experience which Poland can learn from Belarus in agriculture will be interesting and useful. In Poland there are almost 1.5 million private farms. There is mainly large scale production in Belarus. According to him, it is difficult for Poland, with its small farms, to compete with large manufacturers of Belarus, Latvia and Lithuania.

Belarus has created necessary conditions for the effective development of agriculture, said Prime Minister of Belarus Sergei Sidorsky as he met with the Agriculture ministers of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

“We do our best to maintain the development of large scale production in Belarus,” stressed Sergei Sidorsky.

Belarus is doing a lot for the agricultural development, according to the Prime Minister. “We have introduced market relations into the agriculture over the last ten years. And we have laid stress on the large scale manufacturers,” he said. Sergei Sidorsky also said that Belarus is implementing a number of national programs on the development of agriculture.

Sergei Sidorsky praised that fact that in 2009 Belarus produced more than ten million tonnes of grain. “We have ensured the economic security of the country. Two years ago we started exporting grain and ceased the import of hard grain,” said the Prime Minister.

Speaking on vegetable farming, Sergei Sidorsky said that Belarus increased the sugar beet production up to four million tonnes. Four major sugar plants are operating, and one more sugar plant is being constructed.

“We have solved the problem of rape production and started producing rapeseed biological fuel,” said Sergei Sidorsky.

On the whole, the profitability of Belarusian agriculture is 8%-9%, which is rather a good figure. In 2009 Belarus exported about USD2 billion worth of agricultural goods.

Sergei Sidorsky paid special attention to the demographic problems of the rural area. Its population is getting older, that is why it is important to get the youth involved in the development of agriculture. But young people are interested in comfortable living conditions. Belarus has built about 1, 500 agrotowns with complete infrastructure. Some 9, 000 houses are constructed annually. All these steps are expected to enhance the attractiveness of living in the rural area.

When addressing to the Agriculture ministers of Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, Sergei Sidorsky said that the bilateral contacts are very important for the development of trade and economic relations and the exchange of technologies and experience. The personal relations play a significant part too. It is good when you can call your counterpart and solve the problem without long paperwork, the Belarusian Prime Minister believes.

“Belarus is interested in promoting goods to your markets,” said Sergei Sidorsky. He invited the Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish manufacturers to Belarus, taking into account the prospects of the Customs Union of Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan.