The price of the Belarusian brand product had to be raised

The Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade of Belarus conducted a raid on vegetable storages and reported that there were quite enough potatoes there. The retail chains were previously checked. The concern, as explained by the agency, was caused by an imbalance in the potato market, which arose due to the fact that it was more profitable for producers to sell it abroad. The costs of the policy of keeping the marginal prices for this product too low have affected. And the new prime minister had to raise them significantly the other day. However, before that, Alexander Lukashenko himself took care of the problem. But it’s not just potatoes that bother the president. On Monday, he addressed the problem of forestry.

The Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade (MARCH) reported that it had checked the availability and quality of potatoes, as well as other “borscht set” vegetables in 20 vegetable storages in the country. The agency assured that “in general, potatoes in the surveyed stabilization funds are of proper quality, meet the requirements of GOST 7176-2017 “Food potatoes” and are stored in volumes sufficient to fulfill applications.”

Earlier, the availability and quality of potatoes were checked in the retail chain. The official representative of the MARCH, Daria Polozkova, told reporters: “Potatoes, like other vegetables from the borscht set, are available in the assortment. The government has taken prompt measures to resolve the situation that arose due to the disparity in prices, when it was more profitable for our producers to supply potatoes to foreign markets.”

And she explained that in order to solve this problem, “the maximum selling price for potatoes has been increased from 76 kopecks to 1 ruble.”

Indeed, the resolution of the Council of Ministers, signed by Prime Minister Alexander Turchin the other day, “increased the maximum selling and retail (wholesale) prices for fresh potatoes, with the exception of washed, fresh white cabbage, with the exception of early, and onions, with the exception of red and white, which will be valid until May 15, 2025.” of the year.”

What happened to, one might say, the branded product of Belarus? How could there be a shortage of potatoes? Actually, the authorities do not use such a term. It is widely used by opposition information resources. They claimed that farmers had warned about this in advance – because of price restraint, it became unprofitable for many to grow potatoes, so their production volumes were bound to decrease.

Characteristically, at the same time as the price increase, the government of Belarus extended the licensing of potato exports from the country for three months. Potato exports are allowed under one-time licenses, which are issued in MARCH in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture, regional executive committees and the Minsk City Executive Committee.

“Licensing will ensure control over stocks and export flows of potatoes due to the growing demand and high price for them outside the Republic of Belarus,” the government’s press service explains.

Initially, this measure was adopted for three months in December 2024, in order to ensure that the domestic market was supplied with potatoes during the off-season. However, it didn’t seem to work. At the end of February, Alexander Lukashenko had to personally dive into the potato issue and scold his subordinates.

“Some people write to me here: they got into a situation, the potatoes are bad, and the imported ones are better than ours. Why is it better? Why? Is it poorly stored? A storage facility was built at Shuleiko’s Alexandriyskiy. God forbid, I’ll drive by there, I’ll stop by and it won’t be full, it’s packed to the ceiling. You will answer with your head for this. Therefore, we need to figure it out,” Lukashenko said threateningly at the time.

The trial eventually led to the fact that the selling price had to be increased for this essential product and the pride of the country.

But of course, it’s not just potatoes in a system where the president takes care of everything that requires Lukashenko’s personal attention. On Monday, during a working trip to the Vitebsk region, he visited the agricultural town of Kopys and took care of the problems of woodworking.

Forestry Minister Alexander Kulik reported to the President on the situation in the industry. And in response, he immediately demonstrated his characteristic global approach. “This tells us where our money and our prospects are. Not even in oil refining. We have our own raw materials, it needs to be developed. And everything that corresponds to this raw material,” Alexander Lukashenko stressed.

But he did not limit himself to woodworking, but also visited a dairy and a bakery. And he gave very precise and professional instructions everywhere. For example, when leaving the bakery, I instructed: “So that in a year’s time, as much bread as needed will be baked here.”

After examining the agro-town, the president made the main conclusion: “We need to stop this thoughtless construction and pull people into large cities.” And he expressed confidence that the future lies in the development of urban–type settlements. At the same time, the president reasonably remarked: “People will move, live and work. We need to create conditions for people.” Alexander Lukashenko immediately ordered an audit of the state of affairs in such settlements and to determine what needs to be done and where.