Self-restriction on exports was introduced on February 15 and will last two and a half months, until April 30, 2023.
According to the document, onions and apples cannot be exported outside the country.
"No arguments about exports, favorable conditions on the external market, and foreign exchange earnings will not be accepted if there is a hole in the domestic market. Our stores should not have empty shelves. It is unacceptable if we do not see Belarusian goods on them, - the minister explained the position, - this is due to the doctrine of food security, approved until 2030".
Such decisions, which are aimed at protecting the domestic market and the buyer from a shortage of products, outraged many farmers who grow vegetables and fruits. They are afraid that they will not be able to sell the harvested crop due to export bans. They are preparing to destroy the products because selling such volumes in Belarus is unrealistic. Many farmers still managed to sell part of the grown goods early. The main export consumer is Russia.
The farmers are now afraid that restrictions on the export of fruits and vegetables will also apply to potatoes with carrots - the main source of their income.
Of the current decision of the authorities, many agrarians are on the brink of survival. So they say themselves. They complain that such difficult working conditions have never been.
"I have been farming since 1991. And such a catastrophic situation in the agrarian sector has not been for a long time. I would like to file for bankruptcy because we have had nothing but costs and losses lately. And in general, the situation with the pricing is strange. It turns out that by restraining price growth, the government harms its economy. With a higher price and with a higher profit, I pay more tax to the treasury and raise the wages of workers", - says farmer Nikolai.
source: blizko.by / belta.by /intex-press.by