Agroindustrial Complex
The agricultural sector is an important branch of economy and the principal component of the agro-industrial industry of Belarus.
Enterprises of various forms of ownership specialize in production of agricultural goods: agricultural companies, farms, household plots, and others.
The agrarian sector is divided into cattle breeding and plant growing. Cattlebreeding companies produce more than a half of the total livestock output. As of January 1, 2008 there were 4,006.7 thousand head of cattle in Belarusian stockraising companies, including 1.559 million cows.
Belarus takes the first place among the CIS member states and the fourth place in Europe in milk production per capita. One of the most rapidly developing industry sectors is poultry farming. Belarus annually produces 15 kilos of poultry meat and 320 eggs per capita. Belarus also has well-developed fish and horsebreeding, beekeeping and fur-farming. There are 89.8 thousand square kilometres of farmland in Belarus including 55.4 thousand square kilometres of arable land.
Grain farming companies mainly produce barley, rye, oats, winter and spring wheat and triticale. In 2007 Belarus’ gross grain yield totalled 7,435 thousand tonnes. In grain production the country caught up with many European states.
Belarus is one of the seven world leading potato producers and tops the list of the countries in terms of potato production per capita. Virtually all Belarusian state-run agricultural companies and private farms grow potatoes.
In 2007 some 45.9 thousand hectares were sown with potatoes by state agricultural enterprises and about 370 thousand hectares by private households. The gross potato yield exceeds 8 million tonnes.
Belarus accounts for about 16% of the world area under flax. It is one of the five countries, out of 26, leading in the flax fibre manufacture. Belarus has conquered one third of the CIS market of flax fibre. Some 49 Belarusian flax-scutching mills perform flax primary processing operations. Their annual capacity makes about 50 thousand tonnes of flax fibre.
The climatic conditions in Belarus are favourable for sugar beet cultivation. More than 500 agricultural companies of the Brest, Grodno and Minsk regions grow sugar beet. Four Belarusian companies process sugar beet – Gorodeya, Skidel, Slutsk and Zhabinka Sugar Refineries. Their annual aggregate processing capacity is about 2.7 million tonnes. Belarus can completely satisfy the domestic demand for sugar.
More than one thousand agricultural companies and about three million private households and farms grow vegetables in Belarus. In 2007 Belarus harvested more than two million tonnes of vegetables.
In terms of output the processing branch stands second in the structure of Belarus’ agricultural industry.
One of the most important components of the processing branch is food industry, which is divided into 20 sectors. It unites about 2,730 companies producing foodstuffs, strong and soft drinks, tobacco good and cosmetics.
Companies of the Ministry of Agriculture and Foodstuffs of the Republic of Belarus produce more than 70% of all goods made by the agro-industrial industry, companies of Belgospischeprom Concern – about 20%, foreign companies and joint ventures – a bit more than 10%.
Meat and milk branches take leading positions in the structure of Belarus’ food industry, which also unites breadmaking, sugar, confectionery, wine-making and fish sectors. Belarus can completely meet the demand of the population for meat and milk products. But it has to import vegetable oil, fish and fish products, vegetables and fruits.
