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Lukashenko urges farmers to be mindful of hazards during this harvest

MINSK, 18 July (BelTA) – It is necessary to minimize all risks during field work, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during a conference call on 18 July to discuss harvesting, BelTA has learned.

The head of state noted that the country is going through the most critical stage of agricultural work, which will have a huge impact on the nation’s food supply.

“The harvesting of grain, leguminous crops and other crops can be complicated by rain, storms, high temperature and other unfavorable environmental factors. All these are objective circumstances that can predictably lead to lodging of crops, weed proliferation, and premature germination of grains. All possible risks can and should be minimized. This is why we are holding this meeting. We need to identify bottlenecks, agree on approaches, and develop a strategy for harvesting in these conditions,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

In connection with the partial lodging of crops, the head of state asked whether all combines are equipped with stem lifters and dividers for harvesting lodged grain crops.

“The output of agricultural products in the first half of the year dropped by slightly more than 2% year-on-year. The decline is linked to pig farming practices and challenges in animal feed procurement. But it is necessary to prevent a potential yearly drop in agricultural output and to compensate for the shortfalls by shifting emphasis towards plant-based production. We harvested the first cut of grass very early, which led to lower volumes and potentially reduced quality. But the grass of the second cut, and somewhere the third cut, is growing well,” the president said. “Flexible work management is needed to ensure efficient forage procurement and timely grain harvesting. This must be done very quickly, despite the current weather conditions,” the president said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that it is critical to make sure that all the necessary harvesting machinery is in perfect order. According to him, clear organization of work and appropriate rewards for quality are crucial for productivity.

“Let me remind you: the government has done everything possible to ensure smooth harvesting. Therefore, maximum dedication is required from everyone - from a manager to a machine operator,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.

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