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Lukashenko: Belarus should profit from every sector, especially where demand is high

MINSK, 19 December (BelTA) – Belarus should make money in every sector where there is demand for its goods and services, Belarusian President and Chairman of the Belarusian People’s Congress Aleksandr Lukashenko said at the second session of the 7th Belarusian People’s Congress on 19 December, BelTA has learned.

The head of state emphasized the need to capitalize on existing strengths and expertise to develop current economic and social sectors further, instead of creating new strategies from scratch. “We have established strengths in specific fields. These were once neglected assets, unnoticed abroad. Today, this has changed. Our fraternal partner Russia (effectively our common market) and others now recognize the great schools, specialists, and competencies that we developed in the Soviet period. The question is not what to invent, but what to build upon. Take agriculture: the demand is clear and present. Therefore, we must develop it,” the president said.

A similar approach is being applied in the social sphere, including education and healthcare. “We all used to lament: ‘We need to build this, we need hospitals, polyclinics…’ We will build them, from first-aid stations to national research and treatment centers. But we never considered making money from this like the West does. And eventually we started making money,” Aleksandr Lukashenko continued.

“We trained everyone, and we were proud of it. But we also realized that money can be made from education, too,” the head of state added, noting that the country earns over $100 million annually from exporting educational services.

“That is, we need to make money from everything, especially if there is demand for what we do,” the president concluded.

The head of state provided another example concerning the agricultural sector. Presently, many nations, including those in Africa and Asia, are highly focused on food security and are ready to pay for Belarusian machinery and technology. “We possess not only the technology, expertise, and personnel but also the equipment for that. So what is there to reinvent? Our task is to deepen and expand our existing strengths,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

This imperative will drive the continued mechanization and robotization of the agro-industrial complex. “It is essential for us, and we will accomplish this next year, to produce our own robotic milking system,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.

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