Lukashenko on priorities: agriculture vs industry

The President has addressed the question of whether he prioritizes agriculture or industry. 'I notice some so-called “experts” are saying the President loves agriculture, which is why he visits it often,' said the Head of State. 'Indeed, I do love agriculture, but no less than industry — especially the sector I’m involved with (the Horizont holding, which produces, among other things, televisions). Because, like you, my day begins and ends with the television.'

'If industry thrives, the country will thrive. It is from industry that we get our main results,' stated Alexander Lukashenko.

At the same time, the President is closely monitoring the harvest campaign, particularly across different regions, as work rates and weather conditions vary. 'The harvest campaign is very important to me right now,' said the President. 'The first issue is grain harvesting. The Brest region is doing well, as always — but not excellently. There’s room for improvement. Frankly, I expected more. You have good grain-producing areas, yet only one-fifth of the grain has been harvested. So there’s work to be done.'

Speaking more broadly, the special attention to agriculture is linked to the goal of preserving rural life. 'What worries me more is the village. We must preserve the village, because without the village there is no country — whether someone agrees with me or not. That’s my belief,' stated the Belarusian leader. 'The village means people. To preserve the village and its people, we need jobs — and that means primarily agriculture.'

Nevertheless, even in agricultural regions, significant progress has been made in industrial development, including under the 'One District — One Project' program, scheduled for completion by 2030. 'In every district, wherever possible, we will create new jobs,' noted the President. 'We will have new, promising industries.'