Parokhonskoye agricultural enterprise hailed as world-class

This is a world-class level, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said praising the Parokhonskoye agricultural enterprise in Pinsk District during his meeting with local residents on 4 October, BelTA has learned.

“I came here to relax the mind and take a decision on the further development of our Polesie,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said about his visit to the agro-town of Parokhonsk and the Parokhonskoye agricultural enterprise.

“This is a world-class level [of farming]. There is even nothing of the kind in the world or in Europe,” the head of state said as he met with local residents. “You live in this corner of paradise. You are the envy of every city dweller. You do not need to send your children to a city. As the saying goes: be of use at a place where you were born. I truly relax my mind here. If your head [Vladimir Khrolenko], who once came from Russia to settle down here and creat such a pearl as Parokhonskoye, will help us revitalize Polesie, I will be grateful to him.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko said that the Dazhynki harvest festival would be celebrated in Brest Oblast on 5 October and added that he in general wanted to tour all the regions to thank the farmers. “You do really well. I was not mistaken when saying that there is no country without farmers, without agriculture. Every year you prove that you hardworking people. You did a really good job,” the Belarusian leader said.

During his visit to the Parokhonskoye agricultural enterprise, the head of state was interested in various aspects and best practices of the farm. As the current results were satisfactory, the conversation was mainly about the strategy. For people who are not specialists in agriculture may seem that many things discussed are not important, but all of them make up the final result.

For example, during the visit to the enterprise, the president discussed in detail forage procurement and preservation which ensures highly-efficient production. There is also a lot of work for domestic designers to ensure that the pressing devices provide the required quality.

One of the areas of work at the Parokhonskoye agricultural enterprise is seed production of perennial grasses. It is also important for providing fodder for the livestock breeding sector. Aleksandr Lukashenko dipped his hand into one of the bags with seeds and said: “Here is gold. It is not easy to get these seeds. This is real gold.”

The president inspected the land reclamation equipment used in Parokhonskoye. This is, as they say, a must-have for the enterprise, because this equipment was originally developed on reclaimed land. The current task is to maintain the condition of the lands, gradually reclaiming more every year.

The President also got familiar with the manufacturing of vitamin and herbal pellets. The enterprise purchased two production lines in 2021 and 2023. The prime cost of 1 tonne of pellets is 30% cheaper than grain. The project has paid off 80% over the entire period of grass pellets production.

Aleksandr Lukashenko praised the approach that can be used in other regions as well. For example, it can be adopted by Vitebsk Oblast where grain yields are low.

The Parokhonskoye agricultural enterprise is located at the site of the former swamps of the floodplains of the Pripyat, Yaselda and Bobrik rivers. In April 1974, the first 2,500 hectares were transferred for agricultural work to the Parokhonsky state farm. Land reclamation works lasted for 10 years, until 1984. The process resulted in the establishment of the Parokhonsky state farm with the total amount of reclamation lands at 14,000 hectares, including 12,400 hectares of agricultural lands.

The enterprise survived the difficult period of the first half of the 1990s, when it witnessed a sharp decline in production. With government support, the enterprise started purchasing new equipment, resumed land reclamation works, and built livestock breeding complexes.

Today the enterprise has a cattle herd of 26,500 head. The total land area is almost 26,600 hectares, including about 20,000 hectares of farmlands. In 2023, the enterprise produced about 53,000 tonnes of milk with milk yield of more than 10,000 kg per cow, sold over 7,000 tonnes of beef with an average daily weight gain of 950gr.

Proceeds from sales amounted to Br109 million. Revenue per employee made up Br158,000 with an average monthly salary of Br2,150. Profit exceeded Br14 million with profitability at 17.5%. The enterprise's revenue makes it possible to pay loans, borrowings, leasing obligations, carry out expanded reproduction, purchase machinery, and build production facilities. Accordingly, the social sector of the agro-town of Parokhonsk in Pinsk District received additional sources for development.

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