Region

Mikhail Myasnikovich: Attitude to work in the countryside should change

KRUGLOYE, 16 May (BelTA) – People working in the countryside should dramatically change their attitude to work – they should be able to get to the heart of an issue and resolve it fast, Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich told reporters on 16 May on the eve of the session at the Krugloye District Executive Committee to discuss issues in the agricultural complex of Mogilev Oblast, BelTA has learnt.

According to the Belarusian head of government, most of the issues facing the agribusiness of Mogilev Oblast are common for other regions of the country. A number of instructions were given earlier to improve the operation of the agribusiness in Mogilev Oblast, so the government is concerned by the failure to fulfill some of them. This does not mean that the issues were not addressed at all; it means that there were many failures and setbacks. The local authorities promised many times to rectify the situation, but these promises were never delivered in full. This pertains to the renovation of dairy farms, increase in the number of cows, improvement of the financial performance of agricultural companies and many more. The failures should be analyzed and the people responsible for them should be held accountable.

“We are concerned by a number of other issues, as well. The negative trends of the last year still persist throughout this year. Mogilev Oblast performed the worst in terms of gross regional product in the first quarter. The gross regional product made up only 95.5% from the past year. Therefore, the region needs to thoroughly analyze the issues and eliminate systemic flaws impeding sustainable economic growth. There is certain potential and it should be used in full, mostly through the work with personnel,” the Premier said.

The financial standing of the regional agribusiness leaves much to be desired. The profitability of sales of 52% of agricultural companies was less than 5%, 20 companies worked in the red and their losses had to be compensated by budgetary funds – about Br156 billion. The money could have been invested in the growth; instead, it was used to make up for mismanagement and failures. “We should not talk about negative trends in the economy in general. We should make sure that everyone feels responsible for the results of their work. People working in rural communities should dramatically change their attitude to work – they should be able to get to the heart of an issue and resolve it fast,” Mikhail Myasnikovich said.