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Lukashenko: Belarus’ food exports are expected to hit record high of over $9bn in 2025
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MINSK, 11 November (BelTA) – Belarus’ food and agricultural raw material exports are expected to reach a record high of over $9 billion by the end of 2025, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a ceremony to present state awards to the best agricultural workers on 11 November, BelTA has learned.
The head of state emphasized that this year’s harvest, coupled with abundant high‑quality raw materials, has boosted processing and expanded production, yielding natural, high‑quality, and tasty Belarusian foods now enjoyed in 113 countries worldwide.
“By the end of 2025, we expect record high revenues of more than $9 billion from food and agricultural raw material exports,” the president said.
However, this is far from the limit, and Aleksandr Lukashenko expressed confidence that volumes can and should be higher. “Our task next year is to reach $9.5 billion,” the head of state emphasized. “And by the end of the new five‑year plan, we will aim for $12 billion.”
He stressed that this goal must be pursued under challenging conditions, including continued sanctions pressure, which remains a factor of competition. “Thank God I have succeeded in shifting your focus away from constant complaints about sanctions. Yes, they exist, but the most important thing is competition. We cannot escape it. Even if we seek agreements with neighbors or major global players, we will still be under pressure,” the president pointed out. “Why? Because we rely on ourselves and continue to achieve more. And that is competition on the global markets.”
He cited Ukraine’s efforts to ship grain via Poland to other markets as an example. Poland, which publicly supports Ukraine, strongly opposed this in practice. “When Ukrainians attempted last year and again this year to transport grain through Poland to ports such as Gdańsk, since not all shipments could leave via Odesa due to the war, the result was clear: Poland blocked the border and refused passage. Even the simple transit of grain to port for onward delivery to Africa or other markets was denied. This is competition, and this is what it looks like in practice,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.
“That is why we have faced and will continue to face pressure, until we collapse, until we become like our Baltic neighbors, until our economy is dismantled. Only then will we be treated as friends, because we will be just another market, buying and consuming for ourselves, and serving as a transit hub for Russia and beyond. They will export everything: harvesters, tractors – products we already manufacture… They already produce all of this. What they need is a market,” the president said.
“Competition is not a bad thing, but when it comes with a gun in hand, that is bad,” he added.
The head of state underlined that under such conditions Belarusians will have to work harder, devepol new varieties and crops, advance technologies, seek opportunities, and more actively enter markets. “Especially now, when food, clothing, and even armaments are in demand,” the president stated.
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