Development of agricultural products in Belarus. Belarusian paradox: why the country’s agricultural sector, despite high profitability, suffers losses

Industry of Belarus

Note 1

Development of industry in Belarus long time focused on the national economic complex of the USSR. Currently, the country's economy is focused mainly on its own labor resources and depends on imported raw materials.

basis fuel and energy complex is peat. The country's economy uses large amounts of imported gas from Russia and Ukraine. Belarus also imports oil. Electric power industry represented mainly by thermal power plants (Vasilevitskaya, Berezovskaya, Lukomlskaya). Hydroelectric power stations in the country are low-power and have only local significance. The reason is that the flat terrain does not allow the construction of dams with big difference heights

  • Mechanical engineering well developed. Automotive industry presented in Minsk, Mogilev, Zhodino. A developed network of enterprises has been created in the country agricultural engineering(Minsk, Gomel, Bobruisk, Vitebsk, Borisov). Important role enterprises play instrumentation and electronic engineering Minsk, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Gomel, Mozyr. Televisions, radio equipment, cameras, watches, and refrigerators are produced here. Almost $85% of mechanical engineering products are exported.
  • New industries for Belarus are ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy . These industries are developing on imported raw materials.
  • Chemical industry represented by the production of potash fertilizers, synthetic fibers and resins, the production of household chemicals, and the forest chemical industry.
  • The production of building materials is developed almost entirely using our own raw materials.
  • Forestry and wood processing industry They also develop using their own raw materials. Enterprises are located in many cities of the republic. The largest of them are located in Vitebsk, Shklov, Dobrush, Mozyr.
  • Enterprises light industry They work on both their own and imported raw materials. Belarus is famous as a producer of a variety of fabrics, knitwear and clothing, leather goods and shoes. The main centers of light industry are located in Mogilev, Orsha, Baranovichi, Minsk, Gomel, Vitebsk, and Brest. The products of these enterprises are in demand not only in the country, but are also exported.
  • Food industry represented by the meat, dairy, fruit canning, alcohol and starch industries. It is completely focused on agricultural products. The food industry is developed in every region, and a significant part finished products goes for export.

Agriculture

Agricultural production in Belarus is characterized by a high level of intensification and is an important component Agro-industrial complex of the country. Natural conditions are favorable for the development of agriculture throughout the republic. Both livestock farming and crop farming are developed in Belarus. Agricultural land covers almost half of the country's total area.

Note 2

Leading industries livestock farming are breeding large cattle dairy and meat production and pig farming. Located near cities poultry enterprises.

Crop production represented by cultivation grain crops(barley, rye, buckwheat, oats), fiber flax, potatoes, beets. Grains account for $45% of crop production. Flax growing– the traditional branch of specialization of the republic. The country has long been famous for its linen products and crafts.

Transport

Belarus is a developed state. Therefore, all types of land transport and aviation are developed in this country. The leading branch of transport is railway transport. The main transport hubs are Brest, Minsk, Gomel. An important role also plays automobile transport. Length of roads with hard surface exceeds $52$ thousand kilometers. Pipeline transport ensures the flow of gas and oil into the country and transit to Western Europe. River transport is poorly developed, since most rivers are non-navigable.

Structure and role in the economic complex. Agriculture in Belarus now accounts for 7.5% of the gross domestic product, over 12.0% of fixed production assets and production of goods and services, and employs 9.5% of the working population. Agriculture specializes in the production of milk and meat, potatoes and flax.

Crop production has a diversified structure and is engaged in the cultivation of grain, industrial and feed crops, potatoes, fruits and vegetables. IN livestock farming The most widespread are cattle breeding, pig farming and poultry farming. Sheep farming and beekeeping are traditional; fur farming and fish farming have expanded in recent decades.

Land. Land fund Belarus is 20.7 million hectares, the area of ​​agricultural land is 8.9 million hectares, or 43%. Depending on natural conditions, development of the territory and other factors, the structure agricultural lands , which may change over time. It is not the same in certain areas, regions of Belarus, as well as within individual agricultural enterprises. In general, the country is dominated by arable land , which account for more than 60% of the agricultural land area. The largest share of arable land is on old developed land, located mainly on hills, especially in the Grodno and Minsk regions. With a decrease in the share of arable land in the structure of agricultural land, the share of meadow lands (hayfields and pastures) increases. But this fluctuation does not significantly affect the share of land occupied by permanent crops (orchards and berry fields) (Fig. 121).

Arable land in our country is distributed under crops of various agricultural crops, and the ratio between the area sown by individual groups of crops varies over the territory and over time (Fig. 122). (What relationships between the crops of individual groups of crops were observed at different stages of economic developmentBelarus?)

Plant growing. In plant growing in Belarus highest value It has grain farming. Not only the provision of food grain products to the population, but also the production of concentrated feed for livestock and the strengthening of the economic situation of farms depend on the quality and quantity of grain.

Grain crops are grown in all administrative regions of Belarus, their share in crops varies depending on natural conditions. The largest share of grain crops is typical for areas in the center and southeast of Belarus. Their share here is over 45%. In general, for Belarus this figure is on average for several recent years was 42%, in 2010 it was 46%. The areas sown with winter and spring grain crops are approximately equal. Among individual grain crops, spring barley is the most common (26.3% of crops). In second place is winter triticale (15.7%). Next come winter rye (more than 13.6%), winter (14%) and spring (9.6%) wheat. In recent years, the planting of triticale, or wheat-rye hybrids, has increased.

Nowadays, mainly high-yielding zoned varieties of grain and leguminous crops are sown. (Name the main varieties of grains and legumes grown in Belarus.)

The geography of grain crops is characterized as follows. Rye - the most stable culture relative to the natural conditions of Belarus. It easily tolerates unfavorable weather, low soil fertility and acidity, and responds well to fertilizers. The highest density of rye crops is in the south of the country.

The most valuable food crop is wheat . It is demanding in terms of heat, moisture, soil fertility and agricultural cultivation techniques. In terms of area under crops, spring wheat slightly predominates. Largest areas wheat crops are confined to areas with the best soil conditions in the Grodno, Minsk and Brest regions.

Barley - one of the highest yielding and early ripening crops. Its crops in Belarus expanded significantly in the 70s. XX century The crop has excellent feeding qualities. Cultivation, like wheat, requires high soil fertility and intensive technology. Barley occupies the largest areas in the central, eastern and northeastern parts of Belarus.

Oats - a crop that requires moisture and cool weather; it is sown earlier than other spring grains. It is grown everywhere, but the concentration of crops is greater in the north of the country. Crops have expanded in the south of Belarus corn for grain.

In the southeast of Belarus, the traditional cereal crop for a long time was buckwheat . Back at the beginning of the twentieth century. In terms of area under crops, it was second only to rye. But since that time, its yield, unlike other grain crops, has hardly increased, so the area under its crops has decreased tenfold. The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant led to radioactive contamination of the main area where buckwheat was grown. The accumulation of radionuclides in its grain is the second reason for the reduction in buckwheat crops. But, nevertheless, since 2008 there has been an increase in the area sown with this crop.

Potato growing - one of the branches of specialization of agriculture in Belarus. Potatoes are a universal crop used in human nutrition, animal feeding and as a raw material for industry. Soils that are light in mechanical composition, optimal thermal and water regimes of the territory, the presence labor resources, who very quickly learned the peculiarities of growing potatoes, contributed to the spread of this crop here. (Remember where the potato's center of origin is.) Potato crops are concentrated in the east of Grodno, south of Minsk and northeast of Brest regions, where there is an excellent combination of mild climate, cultivated light loamy soils and a sufficient number of workers.

In terms of potato harvest per person, Belarus ranks among the first in the world (about 1 ton). The country annually produces 3-4% of the world harvest of this crop, fully meets its needs for ware potatoes, and exports a significant amount of it. About 1/4 of the harvest is used to feed people, 1/3 is processed by industry, and the same amount goes to feed animals.

Vegetable growing develops mainly in the suburban areas of Minsk, Gomel, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Brest, as well as in the raw materials areas of large vegetable processing enterprises. The largest vegetable growing enterprises are the Zhdanovichi Greenhouse Plant and the Minsk Vegetable Factory.

Industrial crops in Belarus occupy small areas compared to other groups of crops. Only a few crops are grown, among which the most ancient and traditional is fiber flax . The highest concentration of flax is in the Vitebsk region, in the north of the Grodno, Minsk and Mogilev regions, where there are cool and humid summers with a significant number of cloudy days, loamy and sandy loam soils favorable for long flax. Flax growing here is a branch of agricultural specialization.

The most important technical culture in Belarus is sugar (factory) beets . Its crops are concentrated in the areas around sugar factories and are confined to loamy and sandy loam mineral and drained and cultivated peat-bog soils.

It is grown as the main industrial crop in all regions of Belarus. rape , from the seeds of which they obtain vegetable oil. Rapeseed takes the largest share in the plantings of industrial crops in the Gomel, Mogilev and Vitebsk regions (75-90%), and the Minsk and Vitebsk regions stand out in terms of the area of ​​its crops. Other industrial crops grown in Belarus include: hop, medicinal And essential oil crops .

Gardening at the beginning of its development it was represented mainly in landowners' farms. total area fruit and berry plantings amount to 107 thousand hectares, and the gross harvest of fruits and berries is about 800 thousand tons. The modern direction of development is intensive gardening, which involves the use primarily of low-growing fruit plantings (trees 3-3.5 m high), which begin to bear fruit on 2-3 years after planting.

The most favorable conditions for gardening are found in the southeastern regions of the Gomel region, although they still remain high level radioactive contamination. The main suppliers of fruits and berries are farms with a complete cycle of production (growing, storage, commodity processing, processing). The largest arrays of gardens are in the Brest (“Rassvet”), Minsk (“Zubki”), and Mogilev (“Dusen”) regions. So far, Belarus is not able to fully provide itself with fruits and berries grown in temperate latitudes, so some of them are imported from Moldova, Ukraine, and Poland.

Over the past decades after the end of the Great Patriotic War in the country, the share fodder crops in field crop rotation was constantly increasing. Therefore, now in terms of occupied cultivated area (2-2.5 million hectares) feed crops are comparable to the area occupied by grain and leguminous crops, and in some areas they even predominate. In the Vitebsk and Mogilev regions, fodder crops occupy 40% of the crops.

Most of the perennial grasses are grown in the northern zone, mainly in the Vitebsk region, where red and pink clover predominate. Lupine and timothy are common in Polesie, and corn is planted for silage in the north-west, west and south.

Animal husbandry. It gives the most high-calorie foods food (milk, meat, eggs), raw materials for industry. For some branches of light industry it supplies wool, bristles, skins, and fur. Develops in close connection with crop production.

The natural basis for the development of livestock farming is natural flooded and dry meadows, fallow lands, swamps, and shrubs.

Their share in the area of ​​agricultural land in the country as a whole is 1/3. Within the Polesie Lowland, the share of natural hayfields and pastures is much higher, and in some places it makes up about half of the total area of ​​agricultural land, which contributes to the development of cattle and sheep breeding. The feed base also consists of forage crops on arable land, compound feed, waste from the food industry and public catering.

In terms of meat production per capita, Belarus is ahead of all the former republics that were part of the USSR, and in terms of milk it is second only to Lithuania. In the structure of meat products, almost half is pork (Fig. 125). Livestock farming is more developed in the Grodno, Brest and western Minsk regions.

Cattle breeding used for the production of beef and milk. Beef is one of the valuable and most sought-after types of meat products, so cattle are raised throughout the country. There are more than 4 million animals. The density of cattle per 100 hectares of agricultural land is highest in the Grodno, Brest and partially Minsk regions. These regions also have high levels of livestock productivity. They raise black-and-white dairy cattle, which are best adapted to local conditions. Cattle of dairy and dairy-meat breeds are also bred: red Belarusian, brown Latvian, Kostroma, Dutch and others; from meat - Charolais, limousine . Breeding farms have been created for livestock breeding, the largest of which are: “Red Star” (Kletsky district), “Korelichi” (Korelichsky district), “Ros” (Volkovysk district), “Luch” (Berezovsky district), “Druzhba” (Kobrin district ), "Vedrich" (Rechitsa district). As you can see, most of them are located in Brest and Grodno regions.

IN Soviet time in Belarus in all regions were created livestock complexes, where production was close to industrial in nature. (What is the industrial nature of production on livestock complexes?)

A certain specialization has developed in cattle breeding, which is influenced by the characteristics of the food supply. In the north of Belarus there are more favorable conditions for the development of meat and dairy cattle breeding, in the south - meat production predominates. Around large cities, farms specialize in milk production. In the rest of the territory, the dairy and meat direction is combined with meat and dairy.

Pig farming - the second most important livestock industry. Like cattle breeding, it is developing throughout the country. Pork accounts for more than 40% of meat production. The industry is characterized by concentration and specialization of production. In the 1970s the industry began to be transferred to an industrial basis. For these purposes, large, highly mechanized complexes were built and a flow-shop production system was introduced. In total, about 4 million pigs are raised in Belarus, and the main breeds are large white, black and white, Belarusian meat, and landrace.

On average in Belarus there are 70 pigs per 100 hectares of arable land, but their density is highest in the central and southern parts of the country. Pork production is the cheapest in the Vitebsk and Grodno regions, where about 90% of pigs are concentrated in large complexes. The concentration of pig farming on large complexes has led to the emergence environmental problem due to difficulties in manure disposal.

Sheep breeding - a traditional and at the same time promising branch of livestock farming. During the period after the Great Patriotic War, the number of sheep decreased by 20 times. Now 90% of their livestock is on private farms. Sheep farming in Belarus has a meat-and-wool area of ​​specialization. Land with poor grass stand is usually set aside for feeding sheep, and silage and roughage are prepared for the winter. Sheep breeding is widespread mainly in the Brest region. The predominant sheep breeds are Prekos, Latvian Darkhead and Romanov.

Poultry farming has a pronounced industrial character. Large poultry farms industrial type are available in all regions of the country, and in some of their districts (Minsk, Baranovichi) - several. The intensification of the industry is based on in-depth specialization and concentration of poultry stock. In all categories of farms, about 30 million heads of chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys, and guinea fowl are bred. Quails and ostriches are also bred. Most eggs are obtained from poultry farms. Breeding factories and breeding reproducers have also been created. The largest poultry farms are located near Orsha, Baranovichi, Dzerzhinsk, Smolevichi, Minsk (Fig. 126).

Fur farming - one of the youngest branches of agriculture. He is engaged in breeding valuable fur-bearing animals (mink, arctic fox, fox, nutria, rabbit, etc.) on fur farms. The largest fur farms are located near Molodechno, Baranovichi, Pinsk, Vileika, and Grodno.

Beekeeping develops in beekeeping enterprises, on farms and in significant quantities among amateur beekeepers. To breed bees and improve the quality of bee colonies, bee nurseries have been created (Brest, Baranovichi, Grodno). The largest bee enterprises are located near Mosty and Shchuchin. Beekeeping in Belarus has a pollination-honey direction of productivity.

The Carpathian breed of bees is mainly bred.

Fish farming. As a branch of agriculture, it includes pond, cage and industrial breeding of freshwater fish. You already know that in Belarus there are more than 10 thousand lakes, about 160 reservoirs, and over 1,500 ponds. Most of them are suitable for fish farming. Currently, there are 18 pond farms and one cold-water trout farm in the republic, as well as fish ponds for a number of agricultural enterprises and auxiliary farms of industrial enterprises. They mainly breed carp, grass carp, silver carp, and crucian carp. Sterlet breeding began in 2006.

Bibliography

1. Geography 10th grade/ Tutorial for 10th grade institutions of general secondary education with Russian as the language of instruction/Authors: M. N. Brilevsky- “From the authors”, “Introduction”, § 1-32; G. S. Smolyakov- § 33-63 / Minsk "People's Asveta" 2012

The Republic of Belarus is an export-oriented state with developed industry, service sector and agriculture. Belarus adheres to a socially oriented model market economy, which has proven its worth and effectiveness.

In general, during 2010-2017, the republic’s GDP increased in comparable prices by 14%, with labor productivity growing by 22.5% over the specified period.

Gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity in the republic increased from 16.9 thousand US dollars in 2010 to 18.8 thousand US dollars in 2017. Among the CIS countries in this indicator in 2017, Belarus ranked 3rd, behind the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan.

According to the Human Development Report 2018 prepared by the UNDP, Belarus took 53rd place in the global annual ranking according to the composite human development index and entered the group of countries with a very high level of human development.

MAIN SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Data in Belarusian rubles are given in actual prices, from 2016 - on the price scale effective from July 1, 2016 (decrease by 10,000 times).

MAIN INDUSTRIES OF THE ECONOMY OF BELARUS

The main sectors of the Belarusian economy include industry, agriculture, construction, trade, transport activities, information and communications.

Industry

Despite the limitations of its own fuel and energy resources and the most important types of raw materials, as well as the external economic shocks of recent years, Belarus has retained its industrial potential.

Industrial development largely determines the main economic trends in our country. A quarter of the gross domestic product is produced here, about 37% of all fixed assets of the republic are concentrated, 23.5% of the republic works. total number employed in the economy.

The basis of the republic's industrial production is the manufacturing industry. Its share in 2017 accounted for 88% of total production volume.

The leading branches of the manufacturing industry are the food industry (27.9%), production of petroleum products (15.9%), mechanical engineering (15.5%), and chemical production (10.1%).

Structure of the manufacturing industry by type of economic activity (2017):

Production of food, beverages and tobacco products

Production of textiles, clothing, leather and fur products

Production of wood and paper products; printing activities and replication of recorded media

Production of coke and petroleum products

Production of chemical products

Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceuticals

Production of rubber and plastic products, other non-metallic mineral products

Metallurgical production. Production of finished metal products, except machinery and equipment

Production of computing, electronic and optical equipment

Electrical equipment production

Production of machinery and equipment not included in other categories

Production of vehicles and equipment

Production of other finished products; repair, installation of machinery and equipment

The Republic of Belarus is a regional leader in the production of tractors; about 80% of the total production volume of the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union is produced in the country. Our country is also a major manufacturer of agricultural machinery - combines, various types forage harvesting equipment and units.

The share of potash fertilizer production is about 16% (or a sixth of world production), nitrogen fertilizers - 11%, trucks – 5%.

KEY GROUPS OF BELARUSIAN GOODS

Trucks, loaders, mining dump trucks

Tractors, grain and forage harvesters

Refrigerators, microwave ovens, electric and gas stoves

Fertilizers

Flax fiber

Chemical fibers and threads

Meat products

Dairy

Mechanical engineering complex

The republic's mechanical engineering complex includes the production of electrical equipment, machinery and equipment, computing, electronic and optical equipment, as well as vehicles and equipment. It accounts for more than 15% of the republic's manufacturing industry.

Vehicle production

Belarus specializes in the production of trucks, buses, and mining dump trucks. The key enterprises are OJSC Minsk Automobile Plant, the management company of the BELAVTOMAZ holding, and OJSC BELAZ, the management company of BELAZ-HOLDING (Zhodino). OJSC BELAZ occupies a third of the world market of mining dump trucks and is part of the group of leading global manufacturers of mining equipment.

The leading Belarusian manufacturer of grain and forage harvesters, known under the PALESSE brand, is the Gomselmash holding. The company has a wide export geography - the CIS countries, the European Union, China, Latin America, as well as a developed distribution network, a number joint ventures and assembly plants.

The production of passenger cars is a rapidly developing area of ​​the automotive industry in Belarus. Today, domestic passenger cars are produced by the full-cycle automobile plant SJSC BelGee and the Belarusian-British JV JSC Unison in the amount of about 10 thousand units per year. At the same time, it is planned to increase production volumes by these enterprises several times. The industry's development prospects include the production of Belarusian electric vehicles.

Electrical equipment production

The electrical industry includes enterprises in the industry that produce various products: electrical transformers, cable and wire products, electric motors, equipment for receiving, metering and distributing electrical energy.

The Minsk Electrotechnical Plant named after Kozlov holding company produces world-class electrical equipment.

Thanks to the constant modernization of production and advanced training of personnel, the plant has become the largest manufacturer of electrical transformers and has earned recognition in the domestic and international markets. Now the company supplies products to 15 countries around the world and rightfully occupies one of the leading positions in its industry.

JSC Belaruskabel is a modern enterprise producing cable and conductor products. The scope of application of manufactured products covers such industries as radio electronics, aviation technology, instrument making, construction, communications, telecommunications and electrical engineering, gas and oil refining industries.

OJSC "Brest Radio Engineering Plant" produces floor switchboards for receiving, metering and distribution of electrical energy, personal computers, electric heating devices, components for manufacturers of electric and gas stoves.

OJSC Brest Electromechanical Plant serially produces electrical energy metering devices for single- and three-phase networks.

Production of computing, electronic and optical equipment

A large diversified enterprise - the BelOMO holding - specializes in the field of laser, optical-electronic and optical-mechanical devices and systems.

OJSC "MMZ named after S.I. Vavilova, the management company of the BelOMO holding, has great production potential. Sights, binoculars, night vision devices and much more are produced here. Innovation project BelOMO - production of domestic thermal imagers.

OJSC "Gomel Plant of Measuring Instruments" is one of the leading enterprises in the instrument-making industry of the Republic of Belarus, which specializes in the production of analytical instruments intended for control and regulation technological processes and monitoring environment, as well as electrode systems for potentiometric measurements.

Another enterprise in the instrument-making industry, OJSC Plant Evistor, specializes in the supply of components (electric mechanisms, electromagnets, electric drives, windshield wipers, variators, converters) for agricultural engineering enterprises.

Production of petroleum products, chemical production and production of rubber and plastic products

The oil refining industry of Belarus is represented by JSC Naftan (Novopolotsk) and JSC Mozyr Oil Refinery. These are modern complexes for the production of petroleum products High Quality, which are supplied to countries European Union, South America, Ukraine, Russian Federation.

The largest enterprises in Belarus that export mineral fertilizers are OJSC Belarusian Potash Company, OJSC Gomel Chemical Plant, OJSC Belaruskali and OJSC Grodno Azot.

OJSC Belaruskali is one of the world's leading producers of potash fertilizers. Over 90% of its products are exported to South and North America, Southeast Asia, Europe (more than 100 countries, including India and China).

JSC Belshina is one of largest enterprises in Europe for tire production.

Metallurgical complex

The metallurgical complex of the republic includes about 20 large and medium-sized organizations metallurgical production, producing steel pipes, metal cord, various types of wire, and more than 60 organizations for the production of finished metal products - prefabricated building metal structures, various kinds of metal tools, tanks, tanks, tanks, boilers, radiators, fasteners and others.

The largest manufacturer of steel and products made from it is OJSC “Belarusian Metallurgical Plant” - the management company of the holding company “Belarusian Metallurgical Company” (Zhlobin).

The holding includes OJSC Belarusian Metallurgical Plant, OJSC Legmash Plant, OJSC Polesyeelectromash, OJSC Kobrin Tool Plant SITOMO, OJSC Rechitsa Hardware Plant, OJSC Mogilev Metallurgical Plant, OJSC Minsk Bearing plant", JSC "Beltsvetmet", JSC "Beltsvtorchermet", PUP "Brestvtorchermet", PUP "Vitebskvtorchermet", PUP "Gomelvtorchermet", PUP "Grodnovtorchermet", PUP "Mogilevvtorchermet", JSC "BELNIILIT", SUP "Zhlobinmetallurgstroy", JSC " Zhlobinsky quarry of molding materials", SUP "Paporotnoye", TPUP "Metallurgtorg", UP "Tsvetmet", TUP "Metallurgtrans", PTUP "Service Center "BMZ".

Energy

Fuel energy complex(Fuel and Energy Complex) of Belarus includes systems for the extraction, transportation, storage and production of all types of energy resources. About 85% of the energy resources used in the country's economy are imported. The core of the fuel and energy complex is the electric power industry. This is one of the leading sectors of the economy as a whole; the traditionally high level of technical and engineering potential of Belarus is concentrated here. Gas supply and gas transportation across the territory of Belarus is provided by OJSC Gazpromtransgaz Belarus.

In the future, a significant part of the fuel and energy complex in Belarus will be occupied by nuclear energy. In 2008, it was decided to build the country’s own nuclear power plant with a capacity of up to 2000 MW, which will reduce the cost of electricity produced by up to 20%.

Production of food, beverages and tobacco products

Today, food production in the republic is a modern, dynamically developing industry, whose enterprises produce more than a quarter of manufacturing products, which fully ensures the country’s food security. Thanks to large-scale modernization and the introduction of modern production technologies, industry enterprises produce high-quality products that are in stable demand in the domestic market and abroad.

The main areas of industry development are the production of dairy products, meat and meat products (more than 50% of the production volume of food, drinks and tobacco products). In addition, the republic produces sugar and confectionery products, processes and preserves fish and fish products, fruits and vegetables.

The largest enterprises producing food and beverages are OJSC "Savushkin Product", Belarusian-German JV "Santa-Bremor" LLC, OJSC "Slutsk Cheese-Making Plant", OJSC "Babushkina Krynka", OJSC "BELLAKT", RPTUP "Molochny Gostinets" , JV OJSC "Spartak", SOJSC "Kommunarka", OJSC "Brest Meat Processing Plant", OJSC "Berezovsky Cheese-Making Plant", OJSC "Milkavita", OJSC "Volkovysk Meat Processing Plant", OJSC "Molochny Mir", OJSC "Grodno Meat Processing Plant", OJSC " Minsk meat processing plant.

Agriculture

The share of agricultural production is about 6-7% of GDP. At the same time, about 9% of the total number of people employed in the country’s economy works in the agricultural sector.

Belarus is almost completely self-sufficient in food: imports account for less than 10% of total consumption.

In addition, 19.9% ​​of the world's flax crops are concentrated in the country. Among the 23 leading flax fiber producers, Belarus is in the top five.

Agricultural production per capita in the republic corresponds to the level of developed countries and in many areas (production of potatoes, sugar beets, meat, milk, eggs) exceeds the indicators achieved in the CIS countries.

In terms of milk production per capita, the Republic of Belarus occupies one of the leading positions in the world and is ahead of such countries as Russian Federation, Ukraine, Kazakhstan. Milk production per capita in the country reached 771 kilograms.

The Republic of Belarus accounts for 0.9% in global milk production.

Belarus is one of the 15 countries of the world's largest exporters of dairy products, and occupies the sixth place in the world ranking for buttermilk, yogurt, kefir, seventh for butter, ninth for milk and condensed and dried cream, and thirteenth for whey.

For meat production in slaughter weight per capita (127 kilograms), our country, as well as in milk, is ahead of the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. At the same time, per inhabitant of the Republic of Belarus, meat is produced twice as much as in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan.

The share of the Republic of Belarus in global meat production is 0.4%.

We are among the 25 leading countries in meat exports, while we occupy seventeenth place in the world ranking for frozen beef, and eighteenth for chilled beef and poultry meat.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in terms of gross harvest (in value terms) of flax fiber, Belarus is in 3rd place in the world, cranberries - in 7th, rye - in 5th, sugar beets, strawberries - in 15th place.

transport and logistic

Belarus is the most important transport artery of the Eurasian space. Every year, over 100 million tons of European cargo passes through the country, about 90% of which is between the Russian Federation and the EU. At the same time, the republic fully ensures the efficiency and safety of transit. Transport services are provided by rail, road, air, river and pipeline transport.

Information and communication technologies

Information and communication technologies play a role the necessary tool development of the high-tech sector of the economy, creating conditions for the transition to a digital economy, improving the institutional and creating a favorable business environment.

In order to create favorable conditions for increasing the competitiveness of economic sectors based on new and high technologies, improving conditions for the development of modern technologies and increasing their exports, and attracting domestic and foreign investments in this area, a High Technology Park (HTP) was created in Belarus.

The first resident companies were registered in the Park in June 2006. Today HTP is one of the leading innovative IT clusters in Central and Eastern Europe. The HTP has created a unique favorable environment for business development in the area information technologies, which combines unparalleled tax benefits with highly trained talent for the IT industry.

Belarusian specialists participate in IT projects of any complexity, starting with system analysis, consulting, hardware selection and ending with the design and development of complex systems.

Belarusian consumers software created by HTP residents are well-known global corporations such as Microsoft, HP, Coca-Cola, Colgate-Palmolive, Google, Toyota, Citibank, MTV, Expedia, Reuters, Samsung, HTC, Mitsubishi, BritishPetroleum, BritishTelecom, London Stock Exchange, World Bank and others.

HTP resident companies are included in the list of the largest software developers and suppliers “Software 500”, published by the influential publication of the global IT industry SoftwareMagazine, and successfully compete in high-tech markets North America and Western Europe.

With the development of information and communication technologies, the contribution of the production of goods and services related to ICT to the creation of added value is increasing. The share of gross value added of the ICT sector in the gross domestic product of the Republic of Belarus increased from 2.8% in 2011 to 5.3% in 2017.

The share of exports of computer services in the total volume of exports of services of the Republic of Belarus increased in 2011–2017 by 3.1 times and amounted to 15.4% in 2017 (14% in 2016). About 84% of Belarusian exports of computer services are provided by residents of the High Technology Park.

At the rate International Union telecommunications in the ranking published in 2017, the Republic of Belarus took 32nd place in the ranking out of 176 countries according to the information and communication technology development index.

According to the UN report “Electronic government. Review 2018: Electronic government as support for sustainable development” The Republic of Belarus took 38th place in the ranking according to the e-government readiness index out of 193 countries, moving 11 positions up compared to the 2016 ranking. She entered the top 40 for the first time.

In the republic, cellular mobile telecommunications networks cover 98.2% of the territory where 99.9% of the population lives. Underway active development fourth generation cellular mobile telecommunication networks.

As of January 1, 2018, the number of cellular mobile telecommunications subscribers amounted to 11.4 million.

73.5% of households had access to the Internet (the world average for this indicator is 52.3%).

Today in Belarus, 74% of the population aged 6–72 years use Internet services, of which 73% use the Internet daily.

The Republic of Belarus was the first among the CIS countries to complete the full transition to digital broadcasting.

International trade

The diversity of manufactured products of the manufacturing industry determines the profile of a country’s foreign trade and ensures most foreign exchange earnings.

More than 60% of manufactured industrial products are exported, which is typical for countries with a highly developed and open economy.

The Republic of Belarus has established itself in the global market of agricultural products and food products. In the last two years, exports of these products have exceeded $4 billion. In total exports, its share in 2017 was 17%.

Belarus maintains trade relations with almost all countries of the world. The main trading partners of the republic are the Russian Federation (according to 2017 data, 51.2% of the total trade turnover), Ukraine (7.2%), China (4.9%), Germany (4.5%), the United Kingdom Great Britain and Northern Ireland (4.2%), Poland (3.8%), Netherlands (2.2%), Lithuania (1.8%), Turkey (1.5%), Italy (1.2%) , Kazakhstan (1.1%).

The country’s place and role in international market services. Compared to 2010, their exports increased by more than 1.6 times.

Significant growth was demonstrated by computer services, the export of which increased by more than 5 times compared to 2010. The volume of exports of this type of service in 2017 exceeded $1.2 billion, and its share in the total export volume increased from 4.5% to 15.4%.

The Republic of Belarus is one of the world leaders in the export of IT services per capita. The ranking of the Top 100 best outsourcing companies in the world 2017 includes six IT companies with Belarusian offices. Products such as Viber and World of Tanks brought fame to our country.

Banking system

The banking system of Belarus is a two-tier system accepted in international practice, consisting of a central bank - the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus and second-tier commercial banks.

The main goal of the National Bank is to maintain price stability, which means ensuring a consistently low level of inflation.

As of April 1, 2018, there are 28 banks and non-bank financial institutions operating on the territory of the Republic of Belarus that have the right to carry out banking operations.

In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated June 21, 2011 No. 261, OJSC Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus was created in order to develop the financing system government programs and socially significant investment projects, export lending.

The Republic of Belarus or Belarus is a landlocked country in eastern Europe. The Republic was one of the first among the countries of the former Soviet Union to gain its independence in 1990 and finally left the USSR economy in 1991. The exit entailed a series of indignations and had a sharp impact on the currency, prices, production and citizens of the country.

Today, Belarus is a state with dependent exports and imports from two powers, however, it is also one of the most comfortable countries for citizens to realize their ambitions, despite the political situation and partial restrictions on rights and freedoms.

The population of the Republic is about 9.5 million people, for each citizen the production of goods and services is 7,665 US dollars and, at purchasing power parity, about 18,000 of the same currency.

The overall GDP and GDP in PPP terms of the country are 71 billion and 166 billion US dollars. The inflation rate at the end of 2014 was 16.2%.

Formation of the country's economy

The economy of Belarus was formed in rather difficult conditions. The country, after the collapse of the USSR and the severance of economic ties with the rest of the territories of the former Union, suffered the most. Probably, Kazakhstan suffered more than Belarus with 2500-3000% inflation in 1992-1993 alone, but this is also debatable.

The country has lost everything - from the provision of raw materials to financing.

Production stopped and the state fell into chaos. Politicians pulled the country out of this chaos, but first things first.

Economy of Belarus in the 90s

After the collapse of the Union, the republic did not suffer much at first. In the first year of full independence, 1991-1992, the country was still afloat with relatively low inflation of 248%. Many enterprises and factories were operating, however, by 1993 everything became much worse. In 1992 it reached its peak and for the year amounted to 1659%. Industrial production due to uncertainties in payment and lack of contracts, the position began to lose many times more. Between 1991 and 1995, the industry fell by 41%.

The Republic experienced the first significant decline in industry in 1993, but the further decline of this industry, the failure of factory production and the opening of a cashless market for a country poor in goods and services led the country to great chaos. During this period, the so-called policy of inflating the purchasing power of the national currency took place. In 1992-1994, for one Belarusian currency they gave 10 times more goods and services than it was worth.

Afterwards, the government introduced the famous “bunnies” to curb inflation and slow down the depreciation of money and subsequently carry out redenomination without changing the currency, i.e. change in banknote denominations after hyperinflation processes. True, the excellent idea went awry, which led to a further deterioration of the national currency. But every cloud has a silver lining, inflation stopped significantly, amounting to 107.5% by the end of 1995, a 2-fold drop by 1991 and 15-fold by 1992.

Policy

Political divisions in the state became especially clearly visible after the overthrow of the first leader of the country and the emergence of Lukashenko as a guarantor. During his first presidency, a number of changes took place, which every Belarusian must now respect; the country did not become Zimbabwe or another poor republic, like Bangladesh, etc.

The President and the head of the National Bank, after the IMF loan and lowering the refinancing rate, brought the Belarusian ruble to stability and saved the economy from hyperinflation. This happened in 1995.

In subsequent years, the president came into conflict with parliament and later constitutionally beheaded him, which gave Mr. Lukashenko the right to be elected for a third and fourth term in the 2000s.

The most important economically developing factor was the signing of the first agreement between Russia and Belarus on the creation of a union state. From then on, it began to develop, and contracts with Russian companies gave an excellent impetus to the development of industry.

The country's economy in the 21st century

Belarus entered the 21st century with the same problem - inflation. True, now it was no longer so fabulous, but with the same thing you could buy a loaf of bread weighing 1 kg for a wad of money with about the same weight.

Inflation was about 35% in 2002 and subsequently only decreased (by 2005 it was only 8%). Either another 1000 times, or the right actions of economic sanctions and policies helped the country's economy. It is interesting that later many Western banks and investors began to seriously think about the Belarusian ruble as an object for investing funds.

True, inflation in 2011 amounted to 108.7%.

Perhaps a historical excursion is quite tedious, but without it it is difficult to understand the formation and further development of the country, and a country like Belarus is completely unrealistic.

Pillars of the economy: industry and agriculture

Industry

The industrial sector of the Republic of Belarus is quite promising and is now increasingly aimed at development according to international standards. Thus, the country produces 17% of all combines in the world and occupies 30% of the dump truck market. The industry of the Republic is strong, and if we ignore the dependence on raw materials from the supply of iron and iron-containing ores, which the country has but is not mined, then the country’s industry is one of the strongest in the world.

This industry occupies the lion's share of the country's economy - 40% of all goods produced in the country and provides jobs for 29% of the population.

The following industries are traditional and leading for Belarus:

  • metallurgy,
  • metalworking and mechanical engineering,
  • chemistry,
  • petrochemistry,
  • food,
  • woodworking

The most important feature of Belarusian industry is that despite the country's transition to the era of capitalism and commerce, the country still uses the Soviet approach to industry, i.e. . Yes, the country lives according to a planned economy and sometimes it happens that goods produced in factories are not sold on time.

Metallurgy

The main problem of Belarus is that iron ores and non-ferrous metal ores are not mined here. For the production of cast iron, steel, and non-ferrous metals, scrap imported from abroad is used, or finished products are converted into steel.

The metallurgy of Belarus includes 17 ferrous metallurgy plants and 6 non-ferrous metallurgy plants. The main production of steel and cast iron is carried out at:

  • BMZ (Belarusian Metallurgical Plant - 80% of total production, it is the largest in the country, and its quality is confirmed by many authorities in the EU and CIS countries);
  • Gomel Foundry;
  • Mogilev Metallurgical Plant.

Metalworking and mechanical engineering

These two industries are the main ones in Belarus. The economic potential of the country is based on them.

Mechanical engineering is represented by the production of tractors, trolleybuses, MAZ and BelAZ trucks, machine tools and a very long list of products that are produced at more than 600 enterprises in the country. The bulk of machine-building and metalworking enterprises are located in Minsk, Lida, Vitebsk and Gomel.

Mechanical engineering and metalworking account for about 40% of industrial output or 25-30% of the country's output; in price terms this is 22% of the cost of all goods. The mechanical engineering industry of the Republic consists of:

  • automotive industry;
  • machine tool industry;
  • tractor manufacturing;
  • mechanical engineering for agricultural needs;
  • electronic engineering;
  • construction engineering.

The industry is not only the main one, but also a priority one for Belarus. Metalworking and mechanical engineering are highly competitive and are represented on the world market as a leader in many branches of mechanical engineering. The industry not only allows one to attract a huge portion of investments into the country, but also helps in the refurbishment of many enterprises in the country. Thus, Belarus receives new equipment for the lion’s share of its enterprises, which allows them to produce a higher quality product.

Chemistry and petrochemistry

The chemical and petrochemical industry of Belarus is one of the most important for the country. There are about 75 enterprises in these industries operating in the country. About 70% of the industry's output is exported; in terms of monetary share, these industries produce 12% of the value of all the country's goods. The chemical industry accounts for 9.6% of the working population.

Petrochemicals in the country have begun to develop in recent years, after the greater discovery of oil and gas deposits, more precisely, their exploration and development. Development of the deposits began in 1965, but at a rather low pace. There are 75 oil and gas fields in the country, however, the share of production is 10 times less than the needs of the Republic. However, the country has a fairly well-developed petrochemical complex.

The main products of the chemical and petrochemical industry are:

  • mineral fertilizers - 16% of the global production of potassium chloride,
  • tires,
  • polyester fabrics,
  • polyethylene,
  • fiberglass,
  • polyamide fabrics.

Belarus is one of the largest suppliers of potassium and nitrogen fertilizers to the world; the level of export of this product is 86% of everything produced in the country.

Main enterprises of the industry:

  • "GrodnoAzot"
  • "Gomel Chemical Plant"
  • "Belaruskali"
  • "Belshina".


Food industry

Belarusian producers food industry are quite firmly entrenched as the best in quality. Pleasant natural taste, a small amount of impurities, and a competitive price have made the meat, dairy, confectionery, and sugar sectors of the food industry the most popular in terms of consumer potential in the countries bordering Belarus.

The most striking example of the Belarusian food industry is dairy products, which account for 4% of all global supplies of dairy products.

The largest enterprises are Babushkina Krynka and Savushkin Product.

Agriculture

The country's agriculture is very well developed, a huge number of livestock and excellent crop yields make the country independent in terms of food. Agriculture plays a leading role in the country's economy, providing 17% of investment and about 8% of GDP. The structure of agriculture is built on former Soviet collective and state farms, these enterprises receive huge financial injections from the government, which has become the right step, having won a significant number of sales markets for Belarus. Now this industry is increasingly paying for itself at its own expense.

Crop production

Agriculture in Belarus consists of vast territories sown with grains: barley, rye, wheat, and planted with root crops: potatoes, fodder crops, sugar beets. The country also grows 16% of the world's flax crops. Soils based on dried swamps give good level productivity. Wheat shows yields of 40-70 centners per hectare.

Livestock

Livestock farming accounts for about 60% of total agricultural sector revenue. The livestock industry has 150 industrial complexes designed for about 500,000 livestock places. On average, 700 kg of milk and 120 kg of meat are produced per capita. Substantial part goes for export.

Trade

The country's industrial complex is built in such a way that it creates a condition of openness for the economy. The country produces far more goods than it can consume, and therefore about 50% of all goods are exported.

Main trading partners are Russia, Ukraine, Germany, China, Poland, Venezuela, Latvia and the Netherlands. The country has a negative trade of 4 billion. The total indicator of trade relations is about 76 billion dollars.

The republic's trade has been boosted by its presence in the Customs Union since 2010. Thanks to this cooperation program between the three countries, exports have an equal share of the markup as for goods own production, and those imported from Russia and Kazakhstan.

Export

Over the past 10 years, the country has begun to increase its export level at a Stakhanov-like pace. The main country for which Belarusian goods are supplied is Russia (Russia's share here is 50-70%). We can safely say that the republic’s economy is built on trade relations with Russia. Exports amount to 41 billion dollars. Main export items: fertilizers and mineral products - 33%, agricultural products - 15%, vehicles - 9.7%, ferrous metals - 4%.

Products are supplied to 182 countries, but five countries account for 70% of total exports. The main exporters of Belarusian products: Russia, Ukraine, China and EU countries: Germany and Poland.

Despite its focus on the Russian economy, Belarus has trade relations with many countries of the world and if we cut off supplies of products to Russia, the share of other partners - the EU, Ukraine and China is 30-40%. This is despite the fact that most of these countries imported more goods from Belarus with great pleasure, but the closed nature of trade in the Customs Union does not allow them to fully spread their wings.

Import

Belarus imports 4 billion more than it exports. These are mainly: mineral products - 30%, cars, equipment and machinery - 26%, base metals - 10-11%, food products - 12%.

Energy

In this area of ​​economic activity, there is complete dependence on raw materials imported into the country. The state has the capacity to produce its own energy resources: the Mozyr Oil Refinery and the Novopolotsk Oil Refinery. True, Russian raw materials are used to load them. These refineries produce about 20,000,000 tons of petroleum products.

Gas is also supplied from neighboring Russia at domestic Russian prices. Costs for gas supply are compensated by the fact of transporting Russian carbohydrates through the territory of the country; even more, for 15 years the republic received a positive balance for the re-export of oil and gas to other countries.

Electricity is produced mainly by thermal power plants and hydroelectric power plants. In the past, Belarus largely imported electricity from Ukraine and Russia, but over time it is ready to become an exporter of electricity itself. All this is thanks to hydroelectric power plants under construction and modernization of equipment.

The country is rich in combustible materials such as peat, oil shale, brown coal, and has minor gas and oil reserves. Gas began to be developed more actively. The volumes produced are not enough to supply the country, but for some it is enough. The country produces about 250 million. cubic meters gas and 210 million tons of oil.

In general, the country’s energy complex cannot be called independent, just like other sectors of the state. But Belarus is doing everything possible for this.

Transport

Transport in the country is represented by roads, railways and air transport.

Railway

The railway provides 70-80% of all freight traffic and 50-60% of all passenger traffic. The railway transport network consists of 5512 km of railway track. The railway has 21 stations and about 300 stations. The country's railway is in contact with railways Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.

Car roads

The state's roads are among the best in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Reconstructions and construction of new roads are constantly taking place. They are involved in the construction of roads. In total, the length of roads in Belarus is about 83,000 kilometers. Toll roads extend over a distance of 1,200 kilometers. Highways connecting Russia and the EU and Ukraine with the Baltic countries pass through the country.

Air transport

The country has an area of ​​207,600 square kilometers, so intrastate transportation is very rare and mainly delivers critical cargo between cities by air. However, there are 67 runways and 7 international airports in the country. The largest airport is Minsk (2.6 million passengers per year) and Minsk-1.

Generally transport system Belarus is very developed and it is not difficult to travel from one point of the country to another. Updated trains, quality roads and a developed network, reaching to the most extreme corners of the country, allows all types of commerce to develop in any locality without logistics problems.

The Republic of Belarus is one of the most developed countries in the post-Soviet space. Yes, perhaps the funds received by the government are not particularly in beautiful ways, but this loses its meaning as soon as you realize that the country lives by European standards.

A neighboring country, for example, Ukraine, despite its 100 times better potential, cannot boast of even 5 of the innovations and updates that Belarus has. The President may not have been replaced for 20 years, but apparently he is taking the necessary and effective steps in politics.

The only thing worth changing in the country is exports. Excellent and mild conditions On the part of Russia, they do not allow competitive goods from Belarus to enter other markets in large volumes. There is a hunger for Belarusian goods in the EU and other countries, which Belarusian producers will not be able to alleviate yet.

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Agriculture. Its share in Belarus now accounts for less than 10% of the gross domestic product, about 15% of fixed production assets and production of goods and services, and employs 10% of the working population. Specializes in the production of milk and meat, potatoes and flax. Traditionally divided into three sectors: crop production, livestock production, and feed production.

Crop farming has a diversified structure and is engaged in the cultivation of grain, industrial and fodder crops, potatoes, fruits and vegetables. In livestock farming, cattle breeding, pig farming and poultry farming are most widespread. Sheep farming and beekeeping are traditional; fur farming and fish farming have expanded in recent decades.

Feed production is engaged in the cultivation of forage crops, procurement, processing and storage of feed for livestock. (Can feed production be the central link of agriculture in the conditions of Belarus?) The Orsha-Mogilev Plain, the Kopyl ridge, the Minsk, Volkovysk, Orsha Uplands, and Zagorodye are well developed in agricultural terms. In a number of administrative districts, the share of agricultural land in the total land area is quite high and amounts to 70-75% and higher: Kopylsky, Nesvizhsky, Kletsk, Zelvensky, Shklovsky, Goretsky, Mstislavlsky, Korelichi, Orsha districts. At the same time, in the lowland Polesie swamp-forest regions (Lelchitsky, Gantsevichi, Ivatsevichi, Petrikovsky, Zhitkovichsky) and northern lake-forest regions (Polotsk, Rossony, Verkhnedvinsky) the share of agricultural land does not exceed 30-35%.

The land fund of Belarus is 20.7 million hectares, the area of ​​agricultural land is 9.2 million hectares, forest land is 8.6 million hectares, swamps are 0.9 million hectares, covered with water - 0.5 million hectares, under buildings - 0. 3 million hectares, roads, runs, clearings occupy 0.4 million hectares, and streets, squares and other public places - 0.1 million hectares, other lands account for 0.7 million hectares.

Depending on natural conditions, development of the territory and other factors, the structure of agricultural land is formed, which may change over time. It is not the same in individual regions, regions of Belarus, as well as within individual agricultural enterprises. In general, the country is dominated by arable land, which accounts for over 60% of the agricultural area. With a decrease in the share of arable land in the structure of agricultural land, the share of natural forage lands (hayfields and pastures) increases. But this fluctuation does not significantly affect the share of land occupied by permanent crops.

Plant growing. In Belarus, it has always been the main occupation of peasants, although some agricultural crops were also grown in urban areas. Arable land in our country is distributed under crops of various agricultural crops, and the ratio between the area sown by individual groups of crops varies over the territory and over time. In Belarusian crop production, grain farming is of greatest importance, i.e., growing grain and leguminous crops. Not only the provision of food grain products to the population, but also the production of concentrated and roughage feed for livestock, and the strengthening of the economic situation of rural farms depend on the quality and quantity of grain.

The share of grain crops grown in all administrative regions of Belarus varies depending on natural conditions. The largest share of grain crops in crops is typical for areas in the center and southeast of Belarus. Their share here is over 45%. In Belarus as a whole, this figure has averaged 42% over the past few years; in 1985 it was 45%. Spring crops predominate, but their area is not much larger than winter grain crops. Currently, predominantly high-yielding zoned varieties of grain and leguminous crops are being sown.

The geography of grain crops is characterized as follows. Rye is the most sustainable crop for the natural conditions of Belarus. It easily tolerates unfavorable weather, low soil fertility and acidity, and responds well to fertilizers. The highest density of rye crops is in the south of the country - in the Brest and Gomel regions.

The most valuable food crop is wheat.

It is demanding in terms of heat, moisture, soil fertility and agricultural cultivation techniques. In terms of area under crops, spring wheat slightly predominates. The most significant wheat crops are confined to areas with the best soil conditions in the Grodno, Minsk and Brest regions.

Barley is one of the highest-yielding and fastest-ripening crops. Its crops in Belarus expanded significantly in the 70s. XX century The crop has excellent feeding qualities. Its cultivation, like wheat, requires high soil fertility and intensive technologies. Barley occupies the largest areas in the central, eastern and northeastern parts of Belarus.

The predominant fodder crop is oats, which require moisture and cool weather and are sown earlier than other spring grains. It is grown everywhere, but the concentration of crops is greater in the north of the country.

In the southeast of Belarus, buckwheat has been a traditional cereal crop for a long time. Back at the beginning of the twentieth century. In terms of area under crops, it was second only to rye. But since that time, its yield, unlike other grain crops, has hardly increased, so the area under its crops has decreased tenfold.

The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant led to radioactive contamination of the main area where buckwheat was grown. The accumulation of radionuclides in its grain is the second reason for the reduction in buckwheat crops.

On drained peatlands of Polesie since the beginning of the 21st century. Millet plantings have been resumed. Of the grain legume food crops, the main crop is peas.

Belarus as a whole provides itself with grain. Only certain types of it are imported into the country (durum and strong wheat, rice, buckwheat, millet, etc.), for the cultivation of which natural conditions Belarus is not entirely favorable or even unfavorable.

Potato growing is one of the branches of specialization of agriculture in Belarus. Potatoes are a universal crop used in human nutrition, animal feeding and as a raw material for industry. Almost 300 years ago, potatoes appeared in Belarus, where they found a second home. The soils, which are light in mechanical composition, the optimal thermal and water conditions of the territory, and the availability of labor resources who very quickly learned the peculiarities of growing potatoes, contributed to the spread of this crop here. (Remember where the center of origin of potatoes is located.) Potato crops are concentrated in the east of the Grodno, south of the Minsk and northeast of the Brest regions, where there is an excellent combination of mild climate, cultivated light loamy soils and a sufficient number of workers.

In terms of potato harvest per person, Belarus ranks among the first in the world (about 1 ton).

The country annually produces 3-4% of the world harvest of this crop, fully meets its needs for ware potatoes, and exports a significant amount of it. About 1/4 of the harvest is used to feed people, 1/3 is processed by industry, and the same amount goes to feed animals.

Vegetable growing develops mainly in the suburban areas of Minsk, Gomel, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Brest, as well as in the raw material areas of large vegetable processing enterprises.

Vegetable growing closed ground in greenhouses and greenhouses it mainly specializes in growing early cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and onions. A significant share of the harvest comes from citizens' garden plots, and the productivity of vegetables on farms is quite high. The largest vegetable growing enterprises are the Zhdanovichi Greenhouse Plant and the Minsk Vegetable Factory.

Industrial crops in the conditions of Belarus, in comparison with other groups of crops, occupy small areas. Only a few crops are grown, among which the most ancient and traditional is fiber flax. Flax farming has long existed here to obtain fiber for the production of fabrics, which are still in demand. For a number of reasons, the main one being the lack of labor resources in flax-growing areas, the sown area has decreased. It is clear that gross receipts have also decreased. But this decrease was not only due to a lack of labor resources. In the Gomel, Mogilev and partly Brest regions, where the largest drop in gross flax fiber harvests was observed, this was affected by radioactive contamination of the territory.

The highest concentration of flax is in the Vitebsk region, in the north of the Grodno, Minsk and Mogilev regions, where there are cool and humid summers with a significant number of cloudy days, loamy and sandy loam soils favorable for long flax. The second most important technical culture in Belarus is relatively new culture- sugar (factory) beets. Beetroot belongs to the highest yielding crops. All crops are concentrated in 28 administrative districts around sugar factories and are confined to loamy and sandy loam mineral and drained and cultivated peat-bog soils.

The soil and climatic conditions of Belarus are not the most favorable for growing sugar beets, requiring very high soil fertility, a lot of solar energy, moisture, and intensive agricultural cultivation technology. In Belarus, the sugar yield per 1 hectare of crops is 3-3.5 tons, while in Ukraine it is 7-8 tons. The cost of growing sugar beets is 2 times higher than in Ukraine and Moldova, 1.5 times higher than in Kazakhstan. The cost of the sugar produced is also higher in comparison with the listed countries.

As a technical crop, a number of farms grow rapeseed, from the seeds of which vegetable oil is obtained. Rapeseed takes the largest share in the plantings of industrial crops in the Gomel and Mogilev regions (40-45%), but the Brest and Grodno regions stand out in terms of crop area.

Gardening. It develops mainly in collective farms, gardening partnerships and personal plots. The total area of ​​fruit and berry plantings is 100 thousand hectares, and the gross harvest of fruits and berries is 350-400 thousand tons.

The modern direction of development is intensive gardening, which involves the use primarily of low-growing fruit plants (trees 3-3.5 m high), which begin to bear fruit 1-1 years after planting.

The most favorable conditions for gardening are found in the southeastern regions of the Gomel region, although the level of radioactive contamination remains high in them. The main suppliers of fruits and berries are farms with a complete cycle of fruit growing.

So far, Belarus is not able to fully provide itself with fruits and berries grown in temperate latitudes, so some of them are imported from Moldova, Ukraine, and Poland.

Feed production. In Belarus, this is one of the main branches of agriculture, engaged in the cultivation of feed crops, procurement, processing and preservation.

feed for livestock. Consists of field, meadow and industrial feed production. Includes the production of feed from natural and seeded hayfields, sowing of field forage crops for hay, haylage, green and succulent feed, and various wastes.

Over the past decades after the end of the Great Patriotic War in the country, the share of forage crops in field crop rotation has constantly increased. Therefore, now, in terms of the sown area occupied, forage crops are comparable to the area occupied by grain and leguminous crops, and in some areas they even predominate. Almost half of the sown area is occupied by fodder crops in the Vitebsk, Gomel and Mogilev regions.

The crops are dominated by perennial grasses (clover, timothy), which are mainly used for the production of hay, haylage, grass meal and green food. Annual grasses (vetch, lupine, seradella, annual ryegrass) are used for silage and green fodder.

Most of the perennial grasses are grown in the northern zone, mainly in the Vitebsk region, where red and pink clover predominate. Lupine and timothy are common in Polesie, and corn is planted for silage in the north-west, west and south.

Natural hayfields and pastures play an important role in providing livestock with feed. This is especially true for cattle breeding. For this purpose, a specialized branch of crop production has been created - grassland farming, which ensures the production of hay, haylage, silage, grass meal, green and pasture feed, promoting fattening.