Business news

Lukashenko tasks scientists with developing disease‑resistant potato variety

KIROVSK DISTRICT, 28 August (BelTA) – At a meeting to discuss pressing issues in the development of potato farming in Belarus, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko instructed scientists to develop a potato variety resistant to diseases and adverse weather conditions, BelTA has learned.

Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that this year’s weather has not always been favorable for farmers. “This spring we experienced repeated frosts. All summer there were heavy rains, early fog, and late blight. Do we have potato varieties equally resistant to these late blights, scabs, and wireworms? We need to develop a proper variety,” he said.

The president recalled that the National Academy of Sciences has an entire Potato Growing Institute. “Today we saw Skarb, Manifest, Lasunak, Briz, and Pershatsvet varieties. You also have something exotic: the Sapfir variety with beneficial purple flesh, which many people know and love. But, as farmers say, unusual colors are no longer in high demand. People prefer traditional, classic varieties. We should produce what is in demand,” Aleksandr Lukashenko instructed.
 
He stressed once again that one cannot rest on laurels. He is confident that Belarusian scientists can and must continually improve domestic high‑yield potato lines, making them resistant to diseases and adverse weather conditions. The Belarusian leader also inquired about current progress in this area.

print version

make home page

add to bookmarks