Belarus ranks 36th among 113 countries with 94% self-sufficiency in food

The Belarusian harvest helps not only to feed people, but also to dress them up. Today, all these needs can be covered, as they say, within the country, without looking abroad. Could our country have taken a different, dependent path of development at the very beginning? Undoubtedly!  Could it provide the state with its own resources or through imports? Such a dilemma arose after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

It was extremely difficult. The dissolution of the USSR deprived Belarus of almost everything - fertilizers, agricultural equipment and fuel for it, selection. Food products had to be purchased from abroad as much as possible. Just then, at the very beginning of its independence, Belarus starts moving towards its own potential. There were five stages, each of which was implemented on the basis of state targeted programs. 

Veronica Buta in the column "Context" retraced the whole way.

Agrarian Factor

In Soviet times, Belarus used to be called a big farm. We exported 350 thousand tons of meat, about 3 million tons of milk. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, foreign sales fell by 10 and 6 times, respectively. It was not easy to return to these figures. 

350 thousand tons of meat

0.47 million tons of milk

We started to buy elementary products. There was a shortage of products. For 6 years in a row, imports exceed exports. In other words, it is a complete dependence on the essentials. They're on sale today and that's good. Tomorrow sanctions will result in a bad scenario.

And the President does not approve this scenario. Literally from the first days in his post, Alexander Lukashenko has set a difficult task - the food market must be filled with its own products. Modernization lies ahead with an ambitious aims towards the foreign countries.

Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus in 1997:

The goal is the same: we direct the little resources we have to the reconstruction of  the existing production facilities in order to produce competitive products. At the initiative of the President, all state programs for the development of agricultural production were developed. First programs helped to get from the ground; in the new millennium our villages got a chance for revival.

Without re-equipment of the agrarian complex, the revival of the Belarusian village is out of the question. The agro-industrial complex and the countryside must earn money themselves, we must create the necessary conditions for this.

Actually, this program for 2005-2010 has proven to be most productive. The state invests considerable funds in the modernization of the agro-industrial complex. Modern dairy complexes have been built in every region of the country. Old farms and poultry farms have been reconstructed and technically re-equipped.

Thanks to modernization, we were able to increase milk production by 1.5 times and meat production by 2 times.

Milk production – 1.5 times

Meat production – 2 times

Belarus ranked 36th among 113 countries – the self-sufficiency in food reaches 94%

Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus in 2007: 

We will finance the production of competitive agricultural machinery and the creation and supporting of good agricultural settlements. This is the main thing, it is a prospect, the money invested today will pay off dozens of times tomorrow. We will get more milk, meat, guaranteed to sell tomorrow.

Today our country is already self-sufficient in food. The Belarusian agro-industrial complex is beginning to make money again. Exports from 2010 to 2021 almost doubled. ($6.7 billion in 2021, the plan for 2022 is $7 billion). Little Belarus has become one of the world leaders in the export of agricultural products, especially dairy products. For example, we produce 841 kg of milk per person per year while we consume 3, 4 times less. We can easily sell a third of the meat and eggs. We grow 3 times more potatoes than we have on our tables – half a ton.

Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus in 2018: 

Belarus fully ensures its own food security. And this is the most important factor of our independence. If we had no necessary food and clothes for the people, what kind of independence would we have? Where would we be today and who would we be kneeling before in terms of food security?

Export increased by 2 times

$6.7 billion we earned in 2021.

The plan for 2022 is $7 billion

Food supply per person per year:

Milk – 841 kg (3, 4 times more)

Meat – 135 kg (36, 4% more)

Eggs – 379 (41,4 % more)

Potato – 517 kg (3 times more)

In terms of food security, Belarus ranks 36th among 113 states. We are 94% self-sufficient, except for fish, fruit and berries (breeders are now actively working). As a result, our production is fully present on store shelves. Moreover it all has good quality and affordable price. The last criterion is a subjective thing of course. But at least the social basket is always under scrutiny.