OREANDA-NEWS. July 22, 2011. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko gave Vitebsk Region one year to turn agriculture into a cost-effective industry. President set such a task during his working trip to the region. Alexander Lukashenko worked in Postavy District.

"This is the last year you are allowed floundering. Next year you have returns, you are right. If not, you will be held responsible," the President said addressing Governor Alexander Kosinets.

The President stressed that Vitebsk Region should choose the agricultural crops that will grow best there. According to Alexander Lukashenko, agricultural producers know which crops are best suited for their lands. It would be better if the governors relied on this information regarding crop cultivation rather than instructions from the government. "Sometimes it happens so that an instruction from above to grow 2 million tonnes can result in a 20 per cent fall in profits. Once the figure is added to poultry, pork production, there is no profit at all," explained the President.

"You need to be smart about grain crops. I believe that here, in the north of Belarus, there are only a handful of fields where growing grain crops can be profitable," said the Head of State. "Why cultivate crops that yield poor harvest here?" he added.